Breathlessness
My mother suffers from breathlessness associated with the vigorous movement of the chest and abdomen. She is diabetic and has an enlarged heart. Her haemoglobin count is 11. Please suggest a remedy.
Your mother is both anaemic and diabetic. However, the cause of cardiac failure may be due to anaemia, ischaemia or hypertension. The increased size of the heart enlarges the heart cavity. This reduces the contracting power of the heart. On the other hand diabetes causes renal failure and this may further aggravate the cardiac problem. Certain investigations need to be done to determine the actual cause for anaemia, as the haemoglobin count indicates that she is anaemic. Blood pressure needs to be controlled. Consult a cardiologist at the earliest.
Ischaemia
I had a heart attack recently. I am a 29-year-old man. Can I have another attack in the future? What are the causes of such attack at such an early age? What precautions should I take to avoid future recurrence?
Yes, there is a fair chance of recurrence in future if proper medication, diet control and graded exercise are not done. Obesity, high blood pressure, rich diet, fast food, smoking, sedentary habits and tension cause heart attacks. Heredity may also play an important role. You should reduce weight if you are obese, take fat free diet, quit smoking and do regular exercise.
Valve disorder
I have been suffering from Mitral Regurtition (MR) for the past 15 years. I also suffer from panic disorder. I am taking losartan 50 and lonazep 0.5 daily. I want to know whether these problems can be treated completely?
Prolapse of mitral valve is causing MR. You can take diuretics and drugs like betablocker or lanoxin but only after consulting a cardiologist. To know the cavity size of the left ventricle, ejection fraction (EF) and grade of MR, you need to do echocardiography regularly. You could either go for mitral valve repair or mitral valve replacement. Consult a cardiologist at the earliest.
Pacemaker
My father, 72, had a chronic heart blockage. Two months back a pacemaker was implanted. How long can a patient survive without any recurrence of heart problem after the implantation of a pacemaker? Is pacemaker suitable for all patients suffering from heart blockage?
After implantation of a pacemaker a patient can survive upto his expected longevity without any heart problem. The company provides the replacement of batteries free of cost, which usually expire after 12 to 15 years of implantation. Pacemaker is not suitable for all kinds of heart blockage. Pacemaker is implanted for electrical heart blockage, ventricular fibrillation (in most cases, this is the cause of sudden cardiac death) and for cardiomiopathy where a dual chamber pacemaker is given.
Hole in the heart
My six-year-old child suffers from difficulty in breathing while playing. Our doctor says that he may have a hole in the heart. What should I do?
A hole in the heart is mainly of two types — Auricular Septal Defect (ASD) and Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). In both the cases, blood flow to the lungs increases. As a result, the lung pressure is reflected to the right side of the heart. You need to do a colour doppler study to find out the location and size of the hole, and pulmonary hypertension (i.e. the lung pressure). If the hole size is large and pulmonary hypertension has started then the baby needs to be operated. Please consult a cardiologist immediately.
YOUR HEALTH
We invite readers’ queries on health problems. Eminent doctors will respond to them in this column every week. Mail your letters to:
KnowHOW, The Telegraph, 6, Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta 700 001
email: knowhow@abpmail.com
