Left ventricular Hypertrophy..13 yr old duaghter. make-a-wish?
I have a 13 year old that was diagnosed with left ventricular hypertrophy. SHe is now experiencing near-syncope while exercising. The d.r said that if she has another episode to bring her back. Is this considered a chronic life-threatning condition? The make-a-wish foundation is for children ages 3-18 diagnosed with life-threatning medical conditions. For example:cancer, arthritis, um heart conditions(but i dont know which) and for other conditions such as sickle cell anemia..etc.
I dont know if she would be eligible or not. Her walls are thicking at a fast rate: .3(cm i think thats the measurement) in 6 months. She is seeing the cardiologist every 4 months now. She is taking Atenolol.
BTW, this is not my account, this is my other daughter’s account.
Tagged with: 4 months • anemia • arthritis • atenolol • cancer • cardiologist • cell anemia • heart conditions • left ventricular hypertrophy • life threatning • measurement • medical conditions • syncope • wish foundation
Filed under: Arthritis Foundation
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I would’ve expected her to be on more than just atenolol, at least an ace inhibitor like acupril and spironolactone. It’s usually a four drug therapy that’s recommended. The textbooks have it as an "End of Life Condition", I believe that this year’s Merck manual says that 70% of patients die within five years of diagnosis but some people manage to recover. I was diagnosed with Congestive heart Failure secondary to Dilated Cardiomyopathy in 2001 so my heart walls were thinner than they should be not thicker but otherwise pretty much the same thing and I’ve made it eight years so far.
What’s your daughter’s Ejection Fraction. They start talking about heart transplants when you get below 30% on the EF but a low EF isn’t the end either. Mine was 15% when diagnosed and I responded to the drug therapy program well enough to get back to 50% within a year.
I see my Cardiologist every four months too. I think it’s a fairly standard frequency for these cases.
I suppose that you could give the foundation a call to find out if she qualifies but have some hope, she could still see her 21st birthday some day maybe even her 90th birthday.
Hypertrophy isn’t a fatal condition the majority of the time. Severe cases or cases driven by certain types of infection or disease can be fatal. Generally speaking hypertrophy is a quickly progressive condition that stops getting worse at some point as there is usually a temporary secondary cause pushing the condition(severe stress, infection, etc) that generally goes away.
The problems during exercise is very normal for a person with this condition. She has a limit that she will never be able to cross again without dizziness or fainting. My limit is 3.5 mph on a flat treadmill surface. I’m fine doing any amount below that pace. I can handle less than a minute at 4 mph. Running causes severe pressure sensation to build in my chest. Going up stairs is twice as hard as running. Either one will cause pressure and then pain in the chest and weakness throughout the body. And then all anyone can do is lie down and wait for the pressure ease and go away over the next 15 minutes.
It is a matter of severity for it to be life threatening.