left ventricular hyperthrophy in 4 yr olds

My son Shaun is 4 we recently took him to his pedi for a routine well child. Dr said everything looked normal, i did mention that he has signs of adhd so after further testing ( labs and ekg) they decided to start him on Ritalin 5 mg. I went back for a follow up a week later they then told me that his EKG was abnormal and he could poss have LVH left ventricular hypertrophy. I am wondering how is the diagnosed. We are awaiting an appt with a pedi cardiologist at this time. My son is not obese by any means actually he is probably a little thin for his size. What are causes for lvh in young kids and what can i do till we see the specialist. Is there a diet i should statrt him on should i watch him more carefully when he is playing , there are so many questions I am not sure where to start. Can anyone give me guidance please and thanks.
Shaun_mom

[Heartgrl]

Ok. You've been told he could POSSIBLY have LVH. The only way to really diagnose this is through and echocardiogram(an ultrasound of the heart). Through an echo, the ped. cardiologist can cearly see the heart: it's structure, size, the bloodflow, etc. LVH is not a disease rather a complication and indication of a much more serious underlying disease of the heart. LVH commonly is the heart's way of reacting to too much strain on the heart, For example, if your child has high blood pressure, this puts strain on the heart. The heart compensates by enlarging and/or thickening..usually in the main pumping chamber-the left ventricle. Have you checked you child's Blood pressure? This thickening makes it harder for the blood to leave the heart. HCM, or Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be another reason. It is acondition is usually passed down through families (inherited). It is believed to be a result of several problems (defects) with the genes that control heart muscle growth(its congenital). If your child does have high BP, then keep him on a low-salt diet. Even though your son hasnt had an echo done and officialy diagnosed, you can never be too safe. Watch him carefully when he exercises. If and when he gets diagnosed and decides to partcipate in physical activity, please make sure it's mild or moderate. Another reason why he may have it to volume overload. BY that I mean that he may have a heart valve diseases causes regurgitation(backward flow of blood) therefore leaking back ito the left side of the heart. IT's VERY  important he gets and echo.  I have left ventricular hypertrophy and mitral valve regurgitation and Im 14 years old. My cause for left ventricular hypertrophy is hYpertension. iam now on medicine. Im gonna    see my cardiologist again in 2 months. It is very hard for me to breathe in physical activity.
I hope your son gets diagnosed quickly so he may be treated in time. I do stress the importance that his doctors finds out WHY he has the hypertrophy(if he has it). the goal is to treat the UNDERLYING condition so the heart won't get bigger.

Good luck with everything and take care!!

[grendslori]

Your son should not be running around and 'playing sports' of any kind until he is evaluated by a good pediatric cardiologist. LVH or HCM is very rare in children and for that reason, if possible, you should have him evaluated at a University Hospital where they tend to see these children. A doctor can go through his entire career without ever seeing a child with this disease. The majority of HCM patients have a genetic gene as the cause and for that reason, all members of the family need to be evaluated, having echos done. This disease can also be sporatic in nature. Treatments depend on whether or not there is obstruction. Most of the time Calcium Channel Blockers help the heart wall to relax. Myoectomies can be done if there is thickening around the valves causing a blockage of bloodflow. Ultimately, transplant is done on a small percentage of very sick children. HCM is a disease where the heart wall has an increase in the thickness of the heart wall; because of the thickness, the heart wall cannot stretch out so the chamber does not have the ability to fill with blood. As a result, less blood gets pumped out to the body causing dizziness, shortness of breath, true heart-related chest pain, pre-syncope and syncope (near passing out, passing out). About 2% of patients die as a result of a cardiac arrhythmia. Holters should be done and an EP Study which is the study of the electrical system of the heart to see if a patient is prone to life threatening arrhythmias. Some patients need pacemakers or ICDs. An EKG can show a LVH, but an echo is the real determining factor in getting a diagnoses. This is a very serious form of heart disease and the fact that your son is only 4 years old is going to help. he still is growing and usuallly going through the growth stages of puberty can make this disease get a lot worse. Diet isn't going to help him other than he should not get dehydrated. Just drinking liquids will not keep him hydrated; you need to have him eat.protein as that helps the body to stay hydrated. Like all people, he needs a good diet. Keep us updated on how all of you are doing!    

[chip55]

My dtr has ASD and is going to have surgery to have it corrected. She also supposedly has LVH as it shows on the EKG done twice. The doctor said its unusual but could be detected once she has the surgery. Could this be from the ASD? She is not obese.

[grendslori]

Not likely; it would be the first time I have ever heard of an ASD causing LVH. Usually LVH is caused by HBP or is genetic in nature; sometimes it can be spordic. EKGs can be very misleading; hads your daughter been sent for an Echo or been evaluated by a pediatric cardiologist?

[ladybugg123]

Hi my son is 13 was diagnost with lvh a year ago. The Dr told me it was from him being an althlete. Is this true. He doesn't have high bp or mvp

[grendslori]

Hello and welcome to our site. There is such a thing called "Athlete's Heart" where the walls are thicker than normal. Your son is only 13 so the chances of that being the problem isn't likely; usually it takes years to develop with, basically, overdosing yourself with heavy exercise such as something weight lifters would do. People with Athlete Heart live at the gym, all of their muscles are thickened; I would have a hard time accepting that from any 13 year old; playing football and basketball, aren't going to do this; weight lifting will, running long distances probably would. There is one primary way of telling if this is truly Athlete's Heart; if ALL of the heart's walls are thickened it would be Athlete's Heart, coupled with a strenuous exercise regiment. Usually HCM affects only one wall of the heart, thickening it, however there is also a form called Concentric HCM where all of the ventricular walls are thickened; sometimes a doctor will think this is Athlete's Heart, it isn't, it's just a variation of HCM.. A family history is very important to know if there were any members who suffered from HCM along with any early deaths for family members. You do not say whether or not your son has been seen by a Pediatric Cardiologist or not, it is important he sees one, so make that appointment. In HCM, there can be electrical issues that crop up that need to be addressed. Sports are taken away for the most part. Drugs such as Calcium Channel Blockers can help to relax the heart muscle so that the chambers can fill more effectively. See a pediatric cardiologist.