Hi,
A friend of mine was dx with cardiomyopathy and reguritative mitral prolapse valve last October. At that point, his heart function rate 25--he was in cardiac failure. He was given beta blockers and given a heart catherization as well as EEGs. Within a few months, his heart function rate was 50--close to normal.
He still, however, has problematic symptoms--shortness of breath, occasional pain extending into his arm, arrhythmia. He was told by his doctors that because his numbers are now "good", to not worry about these things.
I'm worried.
I spoke with a friend, who's a doctor (not a cardiologist, but he's studied cardiology a bit in school, while it's not his speciality) who said that reguritative mitral prolapse valve is unusual in men and if he still has those symptoms, he DEFINITELY should have a second opinion, since he's at risk for going into cardiac arrest. He might be a candidate for a bypass.
My friend, partially in denial, has been stalling and refusing the 2nd opinion.
Does anyone know a bit about this stuff? Should I be worried?

You have touched on a broad range of subjects having to do with heart disease. A person that needs a bypass has coronary artery disease (CAD) or blockages within his/her coronary arteries. This does not necessarily mean that this person has cardiomyopathy.

It can lead to cardiomyopathy, if a person has a heart attack that damages a large portion of the heart, or has chronic CAD over a period of time and somehow does not have a heart attack. When the coronary arteries are blocked the heart muscle does not receive enough blood through these blocked arteries. Usually this causes a heart attack.

Cardiologist can stent a patient enough to keep him/her alive, but still their heart changes due to areas of the heart muscle not receiving adequate blood supply. This can cause chronic, or congestive heart failure, and/or cardiomyopathy.

CAD is treated with medicines such as statins and beta blockers, and stents are inserted to deal with/remove the blockages. If that fails and the coronary arteries become diseased or blocked again (and again), then the next option is usually bypass.

Mitral valve regurgitation (MVR) is leakage past the mitral valve and if the leakage is bad enough, the condition can lead to heart disease or failure. Usually the mitral valve is repaired or replaced before heart failure occurs.

Pain in the chest that radiates down the arm can be an ominous sign if it is due to coronary artery blockage, and that is the main reason for this pain called angina. Another cause of angina is coronary artery spasms.

Good luck to you and your friend :)

Thanks for the reply.
My friend definitely does not have CAD. I, obviously, got the terminology wrong. What the doctor friend told me was a valve replacement. My friend doesn't have any clogged arteries--they found that out in the heart catheterization.
He was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and regurgitative mitral prolapse valve and placed on the beta blockers. In fact, at the time of his diagnosis , his heart was really enlarged.
Question: should he still be having the symptoms--the shortness of breath, arhythmia and radiating arm pains (those pains come and go)--if he's on the beta blockers and do they indicate he still has a problem that needs looking into --either a stent or replacement valve?
Question: are these symptoms serious?
Question: can regurgitative mitral prolapse valve lead to cardiomyopathy?
thanks again everyone.

Mitral valve regurgitation (MVR) is leakage past the mitral valve and if the leakage is bad enough, the condition can lead to heart disease or failure. Usually the mitral valve is repaired or replaced before heart failure occurs.

thanks--well his wasn't repaired or replaced.
does the fact that he's still got shortness of breath mean it's a problem?

I have MVR and Rhuematic heart disease. This is what my cardio told me last November: I will need either replacement or repair surgery, sometime within the next 4-5 years. (My mitral valve is gradually worsening with time due to rhuematic fever). When the mitral valve gets bad enough it will let blood flow back into my lungs and cause me to have shortness of breath.........he doesn't think this will happen BEFORE I see him again this October, BUT if I have this symptom I am to see him right away. I can only tell you what he told me, and I don't know everything concerning your friends condition, however I DO know from research on the net that it isn't as common for a man to have MVP as a woman.....MVR? I am not sure about. I think to be on the safe side, and were I your friend I would seek a second opinion, if only because I was having the pains and shortness of breath! Good Luck to you both!
Mileena

Thanks, Mileena.
That's what my friend, the doctor, told me. That MVR is very common in women, but very UNcommon in men--my friend is 45 years old.
I'll keep on him to get the second opinion. Again, my fear is that he still has the symptoms and that he can go into cardiac arrest or something like that.
THanks.

Thanks for the reply.
My friend definitely does not have CAD. I, obviously, got the terminology wrong. What the doctor friend told me was a valve replacement. My friend doesn't have any clogged arteries--they found that out in the heart catheterization.
He was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and regurgitative mitral prolapse valve and placed on the beta blockers. In fact, at the time of his diagnosis , his heart was really enlarged.
Question: should he still be having the symptoms--the shortness of breath, arhythmia and radiating arm pains (those pains come and go)--if he's on the beta blockers and do they indicate he still has a problem that needs looking into --either a stent or replacement valve?
Question: are these symptoms serious?
Question: can regurgitative mitral prolapse valve lead to cardiomyopathy?
thanks again everyone.

Hi Lisa,

A beta blocker should stabilize arrhythmia events. Shortness of breath will be/can be a symptom of moderate to severe MVR.

Yes, MVP, if the regurgitation is moderate-severe, can be secondary to a left ventricle enlargement (dilated cardiomyopathy). It happened to me... MVR can be primary and cause a dilated cardiomyopathy. If severe, MVR compromises cardiac output. The system compensates by increasing the left ventricles size to meet the system's demand for more blood oxygen. Untreated the condition will lead to heart failure.

To treat a timing problem depends on the underlying cause. If there is an extra pathway for impulses to pass, the impulse occasionally takes the alternate route causing a timing problem, that may require ablation (radioactive waves to destroy pathway). There could be blockage of the right or left bundle branch (pathway). If the underlying problem is the timing orginating from the right atrium sinus node, it may require an implant device for timing. Worst case scenarios.

Thanks so much, KenKeith.
He doesn't have any blockages--or at least they didn't see any when they did the catherization.
I'm just going to keep pushing him to get the 2nd opinion. I'm pretty worried about the continued shortness of breath...I also think it's kind of crazy for his doctor to tell him everything is "fine" since his number is now 50, if he still has the shortness of breath, coughing and occassional shooting pains in his arm.