I just returned from a catherization. I am a 54 yo woman, overweight and on meds for high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
I have been diagnosed with a subaortic membrane for about 4 years. Last summer I started feeling tired and dizzy. The echo reports showed the following:
Dec 05 the peak gradient was 32mmHg;
Jan 07 it was 46mmHg;
May 07 it was 62mmHg.
The catherization I just had showed the peak gradient at 8-11,5 mmHg.
The cardiologist is thinking that my dizziness and fatigue is due to being overweight. I do swim laps two to three times weekly, but have had more difficulty with that due to shortness of breath.
The echos also report report moderate pulmonary hypertension. I recently had a sleep study that showed no sleep apnea and PFT was relatively normal (I think).
My cardiologist wants to send me to a major medical center for another opinion. Any thoughts on why the peak gradient may show up differently on the echos and on the catherization.
Thanks.