emphryio

Isn't an enlarged heart and hardening of the artieris two unrelated health problems? I mean having one doesn't remotely mean you will have the other, I thought. (Except by coincedence)

Just curious because of that baseball player who died. I heard it mentioned he had one, then the other. (Was it a cover-up to hide steriod use?)

emphryio

Oh, wait a second. Does the hardened arteries make the heart have to work harder causing it to become enlarged?

Anybody?

Dr Rick

Yes; "hardening" (atherosclerosis) of the coronary (heart) arteries can damage the heart by depriving it of adequate oxygen to the point that its function is compromised and the heart becomes enlarged, a condition known as ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Rick

liquid

Speaking of hearts, I have a heart murmur. I've had it over a year, and they ignored it for a while, and have now decided they want to test me with an ECG and echocardiogram. So I am on a 6 month NHS waiting list and not allowed to do anything too strenuous.

How irritating is that? It could be nothing, it could be deadly.... anyone else been through this?

Boro Nut

Does it go "Murmur, murmur.....murmur, murmur.....murmur, murmur? If so, I wouldn't worry about it.

Boro Nut

abe smith

You could look it up; on-line, for instance. I am not licensed to practise medicine; I believe I"ve read that the criticalness of having a heart murmur depends to some extent on what [physiological] sex you are; e.g. that mild murmurs are common and largely undiagnosed among females == one can live & die w/ such, and never know the difference. I shdn.t get my knickers in a twist about it now if I were you. Heck it turns out when I happened to get nailed by some of the Medical Mafia, [ for the first time in about 30 years or so, about a month or so ago], that I had an infarct [heart attack] sometime in the undatable past; & that;s the first I ever knew about it. Carry on.

emphryio

Yes, I have a heart murmur. As a matter of fact I supposedly have had a very, very, minor heart attack.

(I had chest pain. The did blood tests and found evidence of something or rather in my blood that couldn't have been there unless I'd had a heart attack. But I really didn't feel that bad and I very shortly went back to doing strenuous exercise.)

When I was very young they said to do nothing strenuous, I ignored them and was perfectly fine.
(Until the heart attack, which I personally am certain was caused by dental problems that caused an infection to enter my blood stream and go to my heart).

But you may certainly have a different type of murmur than me, so please listen to your doctor and not me.

Of course most doctors aren't aware or won't bother telling you that dental health is related to the health of your heart. So that is something I can offer.

rebelnerd

This is not meant to cause undue consternation to the posters who mentioned heart murmurs, but two years ago my sister dropped dead from a heart attack at age 48. She was overweight and took poor care of herself. It made me realize that maybe I was not the iron-man I thought I was. I finally went to a doctor after about 12 years and got a physical. All was well except for my cholesterol was high (a genetic problem not related to diet.)

I guess if I have a point it is that maybe with regards to our health it is better to err on the side of caution (especially since I don't believe in an afterlife!)

Filo

[ June 29, 2002: Message edited by: Filo Quiggens ]</p>

Dr Rick

Heart murmur refers to an audible sound, usually detected with a stethescope, that is generated from the flow of blood through the heart or central circulation.

There are many different ways murmurs can be produced, but they can be classified into three groups:

Organic murmurs are generated from anatomic abnormalities within the heart or central circulation and include leaky or narrowed valves and narrowed major arteries.
Diseased coronary arteries are too small to produce murmurs, so a murmur is not an indication of an impending heart attack. The conditions that produce these murmurs can lead to heart failure, strokes, and infection if they are not treated.

Physiologic murmurs arise from altered function in an anatomically normal heart; examples would include murmurs arising from increased cardiac output secondary to fever or severe anemia. These murmurs resolve when the underlying conditon is corrected

Innocent murmurs are auscultated sounds that are not associated with any disease state. These are the most common of the three.

The importance of distinguishing among these three types is obvious, and we have a plethora of diagnostic modalities to assist us in doing so. However, innocent murmurs can usually be differentiated from the others with just a stethescope and a good bedside examination and history, so most murmurs do not warrant any treatment or extensive testing.

Rick

emphryio

Wow, Rbocknermd, you've already spent more time explaining than any doctor I've talked to could be bothered.

My particular murmur is organic. A slightly leaky valve, (bicuspid aortic valve).