I had an echocardiogram today and the technician asked me if I had high blood pressure. I said, "Yes, can you tell?" She said she could tell because my left ventricle is enlarged. My HTN has been under good control for the last few months, but for many years it was not great. I am on all five classifications of blood pressure medication, although two of them are in one pill (Hyzaar).

What are the chances that this condition will reverse itself? I am only 42 years old, but I also have diabetes.

Blessings,
Ramona

From what I hear, hypertension-related LVH usually reverses when brought under control. This will not happen overnight however. :)

Any idea how long it takes? My bp has been under control for about three months now. I have been reading about LVH and it just gets more and more depressing. I do seem to remember having this in past tests, so it may have been around for a while.

Blessings,
Ramona

I believe it will be a long-term matter. It may take a year to see some improvement on an echo, but in the long run, your LVH will surely not be getting worse. :)

Had you had any EKG's before? If so, did they pick up the LVH? The reason I ask is because I'm only 26, but I've had what I believe to be anxiety-related hypertension my whole life, but I had 2 normal EKG's recently. I just want to be sure that they would have seen any LVH if it were present.

What have you read about LVH that was so depressing? We tend to only remember the bad stuff. Yes, LVH is another risk factor for cardiovascular attacks, but the risk is much smaller than that of HTN, or high cholesterol, or smoking. But for now, you're much better off having LVH than the hypertension that caused it. :)

What were your BP numbers? And for how many years?

The depressing part is that everywhere I read it talks about LVH being one of the most important indicators of future cardiac problems, morbidity in a cardiac event and mortality.

I also have diabetes, which puts me at a higher risk, and my cholesterol is marginal to slightly high. I have not agreed to go on medication for it in the past, though, as I already take 11 or 12 different meds a day (sorry, I cannot remember).

I am 42 and have had HTN since I was 29. There have been periods of it being real high, mainly when I was pregnant (200's over 130's, etc), but for the most part is has stayed 140-160/80's-100's. Usually it is around 140's over 90's, but recently it has been better under control. In the evenings it goes up to that, but the rest of the day it is better (that is when my med runs out that does the best job of lowering it). I am on every classification of HTN meds that there are - it has been very difficult to control.

I know that I have had abnormal EKG's in the past, but I cannot remember what was on them. I need to look that up. They say that the echo much better diagnoses the LVH, though.

I also read that LVH are an indicator of future cerebrovascular events, such as stroke and TIA's. That is what my neuro was checking for - I am not looking forward to getting her call.

Well, maybe mine was not enlarged enough to be of any consequences - I will look at it that way for now! Thanks for your input.

Blessings,
Ramona

Ramona, with your hypertension now under control, I wouldn't worry too much about your LVH causing any future problems. I would pay special attention to your cholesterol if it is high. But the LVH itself should not be causing you any problems. The problems arise if the LVH worsens, which in your case, it won't. It seems that you're doing a pretty good job at controlling your hypertension.

Also, remember that 20% or more of athletes have LVH. In their case, it's not reversible. And they live long, healthy lives with their LVH anyway. :)