Is valvular disease getting worse?

[horseownr]

Ive posted before, but to catch you up. I am 40 yrs old, I have HBP, which use to run low (90/60s). Then, went up to 160s/110. I was also diagnosed with moderate tricuspid valve and mild mitral valve regurgitation. I am taking Atenolol 25 mg daily. Over the past month, I have been noticing, my heart skipping beats. I usually only feel them when I am sitting or laying down to go to sleep and sometimes they wake me up. Could my valves be getting worse or could it be something else? I am 5'7 1/2 and weigh 150 lbs. I wouldnt say I am obese but I could probably stand to lose about 20 lbs. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks for your time!

[horseownr]

Thanks for your comments! I havent had a stress test in 2years and also havent seen the cardiologist in about 1 1/2. My GP saw me about 9 months ago for an episode where I almost passed out driving. MY heart felt like it was stopping and everything went black and my son grabbed the wheel, and I was able to pull over. My GP ordered a Holter monitor, but didnt find anything. There is Heart disease in the family. I will have to contact him.

[Momto3]

Do you get serial checks on your valves?  I have mitral regurgitation and I'm seen semi-annually for evaluation.  I used to get annual checkups, but because of some other cardiac issues, I'm at 6 month checks.  

I do have MVP and MR, but all seems to be stable...YEAH!!  Anyway, I was having over 20,000 pvcs daily and it was not determined to be a factor.  It seems as though my doctors were most concerned about a-fib events b/c of the underlying valve problem...not exactly sure why.

Hope the doctor's answer sheds some light on your concerns.  Here's to a healty and happy 2006!!

Connie

[jan]

I seem to be getting more arrhythmias (just short bursts) since being on atenolol OR I am just more sensitive to them.  I read that slowing the hr down can make premature beats more noticeable.

[Cleveland Clinic]

horseownr,

Thanks for the post.

Its hard to say and depends on how long its been since your last evaluation. However, typically wither amount of regurgitation would take a while to typically progress. My main concern is with your palpitations and a history of some degree of regurgitation is whether you could be having episodic atrial fibrillation.

Overall, I doubt this is the case. With a change of symptoms and a history of some structural heart disease, typically I would do a carful history and physical exam in the office and possible repeat echocardiography depending on how long ago your previous one was. To evaluate the palpitations, holter or event monitoring might be helpful.

No matter what, striving for a healthy weight and good cardiovascular fitness is a must.

good luck