Left ventricular hypertrophy with some pulmonary hypertension?

Question

My dad was just diagnosed with this. He's only 43 and is in decent shape. He is also hypoglycemic and will have diabetes someday. His family doctor did the echo thingie just as a precaution when he was having a hard time breathing sometimes. He isn't feeling horrible, just sometimes he falls asleep when he gets home and it's hours before he gets up. He and my mom said the family doctor told him to just eat better and start exercising regularly and they gave him a inhaler called Advair. But I'm wondering if this enough. Shouldn't he get to a specialist or is this something that really is just controlled by diet and exercise?

Answer 1

The two things that come to mind immediately upon seeing your original question are - poorly controlled high blood pressure and sleep apnea - which often go hand-in-hand.

In reading the rest of your question, it further confirms my sleep apnea suspicion.

LVH is a response of the myocardium to the stress of having to push against elevated pressures over time. So if your Dad says his pressure are always "normal" this is unlikely to be true...there is objective evidence to the contrary. Additionally it is possible that the pressures are relatively normal during the day and high over night when he is experiencing apenic episodes.

Two things - I would ask to be referred for a sleep study to get the apnea issue addresses...its more than just day time tiredness. It can cause long term changes in your heart and lungs that are not reversible...including heart arrhythmias. It is important to get a diagnosis and treatment.

Secondly, consider investing in a home blood pressure cuff. Check the b/p several times throughout the day for a week and keep a journal. Bring the journal into his primary doctor. If he is experiencing pressures greater than 140 (on top) then it may be important for him to be treated with medication.

What if he does nothing? Its a big question but the problem I would be most concerned about is a condition called diastolic dysfunction. It is a form of congestive failure that tends to show up in people's 60's and older. It can be rather debilitating and cause a good deal of shortness of breath.

Is there anything about this that should make your Dad run to a cardiologist?....from what you've said, no. There are some issues that can be easily handled by a primary doctor. Other than that, not too alarming.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 2

I have a friend who was diagnosed with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. It is caused by the left lung not supplying oxygen to the heart, making the heart work overtime.
It would be wise if your father was checked out by a cardiologist. PPH is difficult to diagnose unless you have a Dr. that is familiar with this disease. Shortness of breath from just walking down the street was one of her symptoms. The sleepiness is brought about by the lack of oxygen in the body.

Answer 3

Get your dad to a cardiologist. My father in law was diagnosed with asthma about 5 years ago. Turned out it wasn't his lungs after all. It was his heart. He needed bypass surgery. He was misdiagnosed by his family doctor. I'm not saying this is the case with your father. But, a second opinion never hurts. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Answer 4

yeah babe, your dad needs to go to a cardiologist, quickly. left vent hypertrophy with pulmonary htn is getting real close to left sided heart failure. diet and exercise are important but i think he needs to get on some meds. perhaps some lasix and maybe digoxin. hows his cholesterol and blood pressure? these are really important to look at. there is an underlying cause to his LVH and pulmonary HTN that needs to be treated. with pulmonary HTN he may need to be on a continuous positive airway pressure while hes asleep to keep his lungs open. pulmonary htn is bad news.

Answer 5

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