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LVH in infants
My son was diagnosed with LVH soon after delivery. The neonatologist in the NICU said it was mild, as per ECHO results, and was caused b/c of my gestational diabetes. I followed up with a pediatric cardiologist who said his LVH is resolving within the chamber, but remains thickened around the perimeter of the ventricle and at the septum. This MD didn't have much info to offer, are cases such as my son's common? Do they usually resolve with out any damage to the heart? Is there anything I should do in the interim to help better this problem? We are scheduled to follow up again in October, would you suggest anything different?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Thanks for the information, it definitely helps to clarify what is happening with my son. I appreciate your time and help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Dear Seansmom,
As you may have already seen posted, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in an infant of a diabetic mother can be seen if the blood sugar control during the pregnancy is not ideal. The extra sugar goes across the placenta, but your insulin doesn’t. Thus, your son’s pancreas had to increase its own insulin production. When this happens, the insulin acts as a growth factor. It causes these babies to be larger than normal. It also causes the heart muscle to become thicker. Sometimes the LVH can be so bad as to obstruct blood flow out of the heart; it doesn’t sound like this was the case with your son, though.
After he was born, the elevated supply of sugar was stopped. His pancreas, with time, stopped putting out as much insulin. And, with time, the heart returns to normal by itself, usually within the first 6 months, or so. There’s really nothing else to do to speed up this process, and the heart has no residual damage from this.
However, as was also mentioned, there is some increasing research to suggest that your son may have an increased risk of coronary artery disease as well as diabetes mellitus as an adult, although this has not been confirmed at this time. There is also a risk for you to develop Type II diabetes with your history of gestational diabetes.
As you may have already seen posted, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in an infant of a diabetic mother can be seen if the blood sugar control during the pregnancy is not ideal. The extra sugar goes across the placenta, but your insulin doesn’t. Thus, your son’s pancreas had to increase its own insulin production. When this happens, the insulin acts as a growth factor. It causes these babies to be larger than normal. It also causes the heart muscle to become thicker. Sometimes the LVH can be so bad as to obstruct blood flow out of the heart; it doesn’t sound like this was the case with your son, though.
After he was born, the elevated supply of sugar was stopped. His pancreas, with time, stopped putting out as much insulin. And, with time, the heart returns to normal by itself, usually within the first 6 months, or so. There’s really nothing else to do to speed up this process, and the heart has no residual damage from this.
However, as was also mentioned, there is some increasing research to suggest that your son may have an increased risk of coronary artery disease as well as diabetes mellitus as an adult, although this has not been confirmed at this time. There is also a risk for you to develop Type II diabetes with your history of gestational diabetes.
I am not a doctor, but I will offer my experience.
Cases such as yours are common in infants with a diabetic mom. Basically, if your sugar gets out of control (and sometimes even if it's well controled) You have diabetes, but your baby does not. So the way your baby deals with it is to change that extra sugar into muscle. As you know the heart is a muscle and goes thru the same changes as the rest of the muscles. So after your kid gets out, he doesn't have that extra sugar load, so they don't build that extra muscle and the muscles become less prominent as time goes on.
Is there permanet heart damage? The answer should generally be no.
Is there anything to help in the interim? Children of diabetic moms have a higher incidence of becoming diabetic themselves later on in life. There are some studies that say if you breastfeed, there is something in the breast milk that protects the child from that higher predisposition to getting diabetes. That means breastfed kids who have diabetic moms have the same chance of getting diabetes as normal kids instead of that higher chance without the breast feeding.
Good night and good luck.
Cases such as yours are common in infants with a diabetic mom. Basically, if your sugar gets out of control (and sometimes even if it's well controled) You have diabetes, but your baby does not. So the way your baby deals with it is to change that extra sugar into muscle. As you know the heart is a muscle and goes thru the same changes as the rest of the muscles. So after your kid gets out, he doesn't have that extra sugar load, so they don't build that extra muscle and the muscles become less prominent as time goes on.
Is there permanet heart damage? The answer should generally be no.
Is there anything to help in the interim? Children of diabetic moms have a higher incidence of becoming diabetic themselves later on in life. There are some studies that say if you breastfeed, there is something in the breast milk that protects the child from that higher predisposition to getting diabetes. That means breastfed kids who have diabetic moms have the same chance of getting diabetes as normal kids instead of that higher chance without the breast feeding.
Good night and good luck.
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