my partner was diagnosed with left ventricle hypertrophy. please explain??

Question

she was diagnosed with wolf parkinson white syndrome, had a procedure several years ago and has now been diagnosed with left ventrical hypertrophy. i can't find alot of info on the net for it yet.

Answer 1

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an enlargement of the left pumping chamber of the heart and may be due to several different things. The most common cause is high blood pressure. Other causes are due to exercise (athletic hypertrophy) and congenital (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or HOCM).

The diagnosis of LVH is usually made by echocardiogram. The walls of the ventricle can be measured and a thickness of greater than 1.5 cm is considered enlarged. Athletic hypertrophy is usually less than this thickness and will return to normal size with cessation of the activity. HOCM may be diagnosed in the absence of other causes of LVH and with the presence of a family history.

The treatment of LVH depends on the cause. Hypertensive LVH is treated by controlling the blood pressure. Some antihypertensive drugs may cause LVH to regress but this is controversial. Athletic hypertrophy does not require treatment. HOCM is a rare condition that should be followed by a cardiologist with expertise in this area. It may require medical or surgical management.

Long term prognosis of LVH is good. There is an increased propensity to heart failure (see previous questions on heart failure) so a correct diagnosis and proper treatment is essential to decrease this risk.

Answer 2

WPW syndrome means there is extra connection in between atria and ventricles leading sometimes to increase in heart beating called paroxysmal atrial tachycardia . WPW syndrome usually is isolated abnormality but sometimes maybe associated with other heart abnormality like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
However it could be to seperate entities .LV hypertrphy means enlargment in the size of the muscle of the left ventricle ..this thing usually happened when there is something leading the heart to pump against increased force like hypertension for example so the heart as coping mechanism will hypertrophy to incearse its power to pump against resistance

Answer 3

Left ventricular hypertrophy refers to a thickening of your heart muscle's main pumping chamber (left ventricle). Although left ventricular hypertrophy itself isn't a disease, it is a marker of an underlying health problem.

The thickened muscle usually develops in response to chronic high blood pressure or excessive blood volume filling the left ventricle, which creates more work for your heart. Over time, the overdeveloped heart muscle may wear out and eventually fail.

The incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) increases with age and is more common in people who have high blood pressure or have other heart problems. Whatever the cause, left ventricular hypertrophy places you at an increased risk of major heart and blood vessel complications, compared with people without the condition.

You can reduce your risk of developing left ventricular hypertrophy by controlling high blood pressure or by getting treatment for other conditions that can lead to left ventricular hypertrophy.

Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of left ventricular hypertrophy depend on the underlying cause. Left ventricular hypertrophy usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs or symptoms for many years or none at all. If signs or symptoms are present, they may include:

Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Irregular heartbeats
Dizziness
Fainting

CAUSES

Your heart muscle responds to an increased workload much like your arm muscles respond to weightlifting — by enlarging and thickening. As the muscle cells of your heart increase in size, the heart wall widens. However, unlike your biceps muscle, which rests when you put down the dumbbell, your heart muscle must work nonstop.

Left ventricular hypertrophy may take up anywhere from weeks to years to develop. Over time, the heart muscle becomes "stiff" and the amount of blood that the heart can effectively pump out to the body begins to drop. Left untreated, the overdeveloped heart muscle will wear out and eventually fail.

Answer 4

No. LVH is a product of lifestyle. The 3 most common leading factors to LVH are CHF, hypertension, and being a very athletic person. LVH is really serious if you also have hypertension or CHF. Athletes have LVH because of the physical conditioning they put themselves through. I wouldn't be too concerned unless you have other symptoms of a problem.

Answer 5

LVH is simply the enlargement of the left ventrible of the heart. There are 4 chambers of the heart namely the left and right atrium and left and right ventricles. So the affected chamber is the left ventricle. What you should know is that the left ventricle is the main pump of the heart. It ejects blood (which carries oxygen and food for the cells) to the whole body. When it becomes enlarge, the ability to be an effective pump is diminished, so oxygen and food that is delivered to the body is also diminished. What you can do is passive exercise to prevent joint stiffness. Also, do not engage in strenous activities because it will increase the oxygen and food demand of the body. You can ask the doctor what kind of activities that you and your partner can do. Also ask the doctor about the appropriate diet with LVH. That can also prevent unwanted strain to the heart muscles. Hope everything goes fine.