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Please help me understand my echo report
I am a 51, athletic, female, normal weight,menopausal, thyroid cancer 2000 & free, but supressed tsh at .02 Cholestrol ratio's of 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 Trig.49-62
I've been having alot of PVC's since July. EP & cardio would like to ablate for unifocal coming from left side, but placed on verapamil 80mg x 3 & taking magnesium taurate & doing much better! I had a echo in July & I am concerned about the valves. Then another repeat echo in Sept.
Mitral valve: Mildly thickened with mild annular calcification
Aortic valve: Mildly calcified leaflets with mild aortic root calcification
Tricuspid valve: Mildly thickened
Summarly: Normal LV systolic function, LVEF>60%
No functionally significant valvular abnormalities
Measurements: All Normal
Then I had a repeat echo in Sept. because I had a normal echo & nuclear stress test in 2010. Always kept in great shape. This one is slightly different from July's. It doesn't say anything about the leaflets.
Aortic valve: Normal structure with mild aortic root calcification.
All other measurement are basically the same.
1)Can you please tell me what the mild calcification of the valve mean? Is this normal at my age?
2)Why would the second echo not mention the leaflets?
3)Does this mean I have CAD?
4)Is there any other tests I need?
5)Should I stop taking my calcium supplement?
I've been very concerned about this & what would be the cause. Thank you for helping me understand this!
I've been having alot of PVC's since July. EP & cardio would like to ablate for unifocal coming from left side, but placed on verapamil 80mg x 3 & taking magnesium taurate & doing much better! I had a echo in July & I am concerned about the valves. Then another repeat echo in Sept.
Mitral valve: Mildly thickened with mild annular calcification
Aortic valve: Mildly calcified leaflets with mild aortic root calcification
Tricuspid valve: Mildly thickened
Summarly: Normal LV systolic function, LVEF>60%
No functionally significant valvular abnormalities
Measurements: All Normal
Then I had a repeat echo in Sept. because I had a normal echo & nuclear stress test in 2010. Always kept in great shape. This one is slightly different from July's. It doesn't say anything about the leaflets.
Aortic valve: Normal structure with mild aortic root calcification.
All other measurement are basically the same.
1)Can you please tell me what the mild calcification of the valve mean? Is this normal at my age?
2)Why would the second echo not mention the leaflets?
3)Does this mean I have CAD?
4)Is there any other tests I need?
5)Should I stop taking my calcium supplement?
I've been very concerned about this & what would be the cause. Thank you for helping me understand this!
As far as I know, Omega 3 can help with arithmias like PVC.
Vitamin K2 can reduce calcifications.
Jesus
Vitamin K2 can reduce calcifications.
Jesus
It is hard to convince someone that a mild amount of calcium is fine, because we all tend to panic. There is nothing we can do to stop our body from ageing, unfortunately. I'm glad you are now accepting it, and you are right, the internet is a dangerous place it can scare the hell out of you.
Finally had my cardiologist appt. today. He told me that the mild calcifications I have are totally normal. He said that the radiologist that did my report likes to put every little thing & normally this probably wouldn't have even been reported. My nuclear stress test I had in 2010 was excellent, my CRP was .2, A1C was 5.3 & I'm in great physical shape, so he said no other tests needed. He wasn't concerned at all. Wish he would have called me in July so I wouldn't have been so worried all this time....Geeeee I've been doing research on this stuff! He didn't have much time for my questions which was irritating. He said I could try L-Argintine along with the magnesium taurate to see if that helps with my PVC's while he was walking out the door. So trying hard to ignore this skipping & keep on going as usual. Thanks for your answers!
We Brits call Mono, Glandular Fever and it can get pretty nasty, with the heart too. A 15 year old girl was discharged from Hospital in the UK with this, only to have several heart attacks later at home and die. Damage from a virus isn't always apparent, or obvious until later when more wear and tear occurs. However, there are a few options open for your Doctor to discuss with you. Personally I wouldn't be surprised if it was the calcium supplements, but then again, it could be simply due to age. If I was seen having mild calcification, then I wouldn't be concerned but I would look at making changes to my lifestyle, or look at my current medication. I doubt if anything will remove the calcification, but mild is fine, you just don't want it to get any worse.
Please let us know what your Doctor recommends.
Please let us know what your Doctor recommends.
Thank you! You sure know alot! :) I had a completely normal echo & nuclear stress test in 2010 and I've had 1 or 2 echos way back & they were all normal. So wouldn't that have already shown up if it was from a virus? I did have the mono virus really bad when I was about 12.
I have stopped taking the calcium supplement, until I get to discuss this with my doctor. Can mild calcification of a valve be reversed with diet & exercise, or any other way? I already workout 5 days a week for about an hour. I hardly ever eat fast foods & try to eat as much fresh veg. as possible. I have almost completly cut out any desserts...I thought I could get away with it because all my lab work look good & I'm not over weight.
I have stopped taking the calcium supplement, until I get to discuss this with my doctor. Can mild calcification of a valve be reversed with diet & exercise, or any other way? I already workout 5 days a week for about an hour. I hardly ever eat fast foods & try to eat as much fresh veg. as possible. I have almost completly cut out any desserts...I thought I could get away with it because all my lab work look good & I'm not over weight.
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I sometimes wish they would come up with some proper standards with echo scans. You could have three scans done on your heart in the same day, by three different technicians and you can rest assured the results will differ in one way or another. One may think something isn't worth mentioning, the others do. One may believe his interpretation shows a fair amount of calcification, another won't think so. Even the EF is estimated and can be well out. I've had an average of 2 echo scans a year since 2007 and I have been shocked at the differences I've seen. One report said I had thickened walls, none of the other reports did. I had to have a repeat echo which showed the walls were normal. From 50 upwards it is quite common to see some mild calcification of valves, but this doesn't mean you automatically have CAD. In most cases at your age, valve thickening is caused by an infection earlier in life, viral or bacterial. Valves seem quite susceptible to being affected. In young people, it's usually a defect from birth. I wouldn't be worried because they are all categorised as mild.
I do remember reading a report some time ago regarding calcium supplements, where it stated that it can promote CAD or valve issues. The European study involved 24,000 participants, and it was found anyone taking calcium supplements was 86% more likely to have a heart attack.
Perhaps you should have a chat with your Doctor, to see if you can stop the supplements for long term heart benefits and lowering risks.