DH has an enlarged heart. Should we be concerned?

[Kitty 34]

He went in for all his physical test results this morning and was told that's what showed up. He's on meds for high blood pressure and has been for many years.

Having an enlarged heart, is that a huge red flag for other things? Is it dangerous?

DH doesn't seem overly concerned about it but of course I'm stressing so that's why I thought I'd turn to my DIS experts.

Any insight on this would be very helpful.

 

[ohiominnie]

It's DEFINITELY something that you need to follow up on with your regular doctors and then a referral to a cardiologist.

Enlarged hearts don't pump blood as efficiently as normal sized hearts. They need to pinpoint the reason WHY his heart is enlarged and then treat accordingly.

Lots of bad things can happen without treatment. Don't take it lightly.

That being said, this is NOT a reason for all out panic! Just diligent follow ups and compliance with doc's orders.

HTH

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hi Kitty. I would suggest as mentioned above, a followup with cardio. I do hope all goes well.

 

[Kitty 34]

Thanks Dan and Ohiominnie. Sorry it took awhile to get back to this. My sis is in town for a long weekend so I've been busy with her.

My DH thinks his enlarged heart is because of his high blood pressure and since he's already on meds he's not too worried about it.

Can an enlarged heart go back to regular size?

 

[JennyMominRI]

Do you know what the cause is? I have an enlarged heart due to Cardiomyopathy

 

[Jpgirl]

No enlarged hearts do not go back to regular size. Is very very physically active? Very physically fit people will have larger hearts-but in a good way because the heart will pump effieciently and needs to pump large volumes of blood through the arteries during a workload. If your husband is not very fit I'd be running to the cardiologist quickly. My mil died of cardiomyopathy at the age of 64-enlarged heart and all. My fil died of heart disease at the age of 69. His heart was so enlarge the last 3 months of life that it pumped 30% of capacity. An enlarged heart is where the heart (which is muscle) adds more muscle to itself to try and pump harder and more effieicently. But if you ill (ie heart disease) this extra muscle doesn't help it hinders. I'd ask for a referral to a cardiologist

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Yes, you should be concerned and get further info from a cardiologist to find out the cause. I know your DH "thinks" he knows what it is, but tell him nice try.

My dd's heart is enlarged due to her corrected heart defect and the fact she has pulmonary leakage and an atrial hole.

It is nothing to take lightly but don't freak out and find a great cardiologist.

 

[Kitty 34]

Do you know what the cause is? I have an enlarged heart due to Cardiomyopathy

DH said it has something to do with his bad sleep apnea. I'm not sure if that's what the doctor told him or what. He's at work so I'll have to see what else the DR actually told him.

 

[MScott1851]

Your DH's enlarged heart is most likely due to his hypertension...and hypertension is exacerbated by sleep apnea. Sometime sleep apnea is a sole cause of high blood pressure. I happen to have a brilliant cardiologist sitting next to me reading this (I'm at work) and he concurs...as much as he can without seeing your husband and taking a full history.

My DH's heart was slightly enlarged on his chest xray last month due to him having untreated high blood pressure (usually 145/90) for 8-9 years. He started on a calcium channel blocker with a diuretic, and his heart will probably never be back to normal, but it should shrink a bit. I am an RN in a cardiac ER, so I know that eventually he will need an echocardiogram and stress test...but not in the near future because he's extremely well controlled with his Diovan (we're talking 110/60 now) and has no chest pain at all anymore, no SOB with exertion, basically asymptomatic.

Your PMD has probably known all along that this was coming...a heart in a body of a person that is hypertensive gets bigger and less contractile over the years just because it works so much harder...it's a big muscle. I don't doubt that your husband will probably get a 2-D echo of his heart to check output sometime soon, but I wouldn't necessarily freak out because his heart is a tad enlarged. On the other hand, I wouldn't ignore it, and make darn sure that his BP is well controlled, uncontrolled HTN leads to all sorts of nasty things like congestive heart failure and kidney failure.

Keep us posted, hopefully everything will work out okay.

 

[Kitty 34]

Your DH's enlarged heart is most likely due to his hypertension...and hypertension is exacerbated by sleep apnea. Sometime sleep apnea is a sole cause of high blood pressure. I happen to have a brilliant cardiologist sitting next to me reading this (I'm at work) and he concurs...as much as he can without seeing your husband and taking a full history.

My DH's heart was slightly enlarged on his chest xray last month due to him having untreated high blood pressure (usually 145/90) for 8-9 years. He started on a calcium channel blocker with a diuretic, and his heart will probably never be back to normal, but it should shrink a bit. I am an RN in a cardiac ER, so I know that eventually he will need an echocardiogram and stress test...but not in the near future because he's extremely well controlled with his Diovan (we're talking 110/60 now) and has no chest pain at all anymore, no SOB with exertion, basically asymptomatic.

Your PMD has probably known all along that this was coming...a heart in a body of a person that is hypertensive gets bigger and less contractile over the years just because it works so much harder...it's a big muscle. I don't doubt that your husband will probably get a 2-D echo of his heart to check output sometime soon, but I wouldn't necessarily freak out because his heart is a tad enlarged. On the other hand, I wouldn't ignore it, and make darn sure that his BP is well controlled, uncontrolled HTN leads to all sorts of nasty things like congestive heart failure and kidney failure.

Keep us posted, hopefully everything will work out okay.

Wow! Thank you very much for all this great information. The doctor wants him to get on some kind of machine at night that will help his sleep apnea. My DH was kind of scoffing at the idea but I'm going to show him your reply. Very helpful, indeed.

btw....my MIL died three years ago of congestive heart failure and DH's brother died two months later of a heart attack. His brother was 51 at the time. So it's definetly a concern, at least in my books.

 

[canwegosoon]

Kitty ...Mscott had alot of good advice. There was a fantastic show on the discover channel about hearts. And they showed a normal one and a large one due to High BP...it was amazing. I wonder what is the reason for your DH's sleep apnea is? I hope he is getting really good medical care, because these conditions are totally monitorable and in many cases something can be done. But if they are let go his life expentancy will be shortened...and I don't want that for him or you Please get him to a specialist at a top medical facility near you. Espically with family history like his...it doesn't have to be the same for him.