i recently had a 24 hour holter monitor and was found to have 6,000 isolated PVC's in a 24 hour period. i am essentially without symptoms. when i excercised on a bike for 20 minutes, during the 24 hour holter period, increasing my heart rate to about 135, the number of PVC's markedly decreased. i subsequently had an echocardiogam which found MVP with trace mitral regurgitation.
questions:
1)does the high number of PVC's--6,000 as opposed to, say, 300, mean i have a higher chance of developing future complications of MVP.
2) in the same vein, am i at higher risk for developing ventricular tachycardia by virture of the higher number of PVC's.
3)more importantly, what are the odds that the pvc's are unrelated to the MVP.
4) what other workup would you recommend? do i need a stress test, and, if so, is a stress echo the test of choice in this situation (as opposed to a nuclear stress test).
Hey Bluej, I was diagnosed w/ a heart murmur as a child. Doc sd it went away. Was just diagnosed w/ MVP Nov. 2001. Had an echo to confirm. I am 30 yrs old, have had 3 children and I ran a marathon(26.2 mi)this past March. I ran for 4hrs & 40 min. My heart didn't do anything weird. :0) At first I was pretty scared about the whole thing, but the doctor told me I was fine, my heart was strong & healthy, & that I cld run the marathon. Have you read about MVP? It helps! Even after my doc said I was fine, I came home & looked up MVP. I was relieved after reading about it. Hope your feeling better soon. Take Care!
Thanks.
I hope you got good news with your echo.
A murmur sounds scary, but a lot of them are innocent and don't ever cause a problem. Just an extra noise that doesn't mean anything. And some things that are not normal are not really dangerous, just annoying.
Hello, I just wanted to comment on how scary it must ahve been for you to have to go through that uncertainty. I am 32 and just found out I have a murmer, and I just got an echo, I will have the results tomorrow. I am really afraid. Everyone seems to know I am going to be all right but I can't help being a bundle of nerves. I feel like my life is not the same. Are murmers really harmless? Thanks
ChattySue,
What a story! When patients get competing and even discrepant opinions from doctors, things get muddy.
If we assume that your most recent echo is the most reliable, then you do not, nor did you ever, have MVP. You will have to make the decision about whether or not you trust this most recent echo and doctor. If you are uncertain, Then I would recommend seeing a heart valve specialist at a major medical center near your home. The Cleveland Clinic has numerous such specialists if you live near sunny Cleveland.
Clicks are one of the most difficult things to hear and their significance can be subject to interpretation. It could be that you had a physiologic (normal) click as a younger woman that is now gone due to the aging process.
Your symptoms in the past are very varied and difficult to pinpoint to any one mechanism. Other than the PVCs, they do not sound like symptoms consistent with MVP. The fact that you made it thru 2 deliveries without significant problems argues for a healthy heart.
I would recommend seeing a doctor, internist or cardiologist, of good repute in your area to sort through your symptoms.
Hope that helps.