Diastolic Dysfunction?

[mkoven]

Hi,

After my recent heart workup, one finding I was told not to worry about was that I have grade 1 or mild diastolic dysfunction. My systolic function and ejection fraction (when the heart beats) is fine. But mild abnormalities in how well it fills. I was told mine is mild and should be asymptomatic. It was seen on my echocardiogram.

Sometimes comes from a stiffening of heart? In advanced forms it can be a type of heart failure, with breathlessness, and backup of fluid in the lungs.

I don't know long term what the significance of this is. Apparently exercise can improve it. Fine.

and they tell you to monitor bp--okay.

But here's the question. they also want you to monitor fluid and sodium-- not get too much.

And here I've just started florinef. with salt and fluid loading. Hmm....

Apparently assessing diastolic dysfunction is somewhat new...

Anyone else with this?

Will this just be another question I save up for Cleveland-- whether diastolic dysfunction and florinef are a good combo?

[Michelle F.]

Hi! I'm sorry no one has posted a response to your question, but I am also interested to know if someone out there knows about this. For some reason, over the past year or so, my normal diastolic number has increased.

Anyone?

Michelle F.

[mkoven]

I looked more closely at the various reports. apparently it can be diagnosed by echo and cath, and I've now had both. For the cath, they look at lvedp (left ventricular end diastolic pressure). I guess normal is below 15? They took two measurements of my lvedp-- not sure why or the difference. One was 10 and one was 14. So one was at the higher end of normal. The cath report doesn;t say antyhing specific. The echo was based on how blood flowed through the mitral valve. I guess this probably means that whatever I have is mild. But I certainly want to keep it that way.

I guess when I go to Cleveland in 2.5 weeks I'll ask about this, and what implications is has--short-term or long term. It's more common in people with high blood pressure, so not sure how/why I'd have it. I"m out of shape, so don't know if that's a factor????

I guess I just want my heart to be absolutely perfectly normal. And the upshot is it is essentially-- with a couple small things. Like the business of my aorta being a little "effaced" at the sinuese of valsalva. Hmm. I asked a nonspecialist doc locally, who didn't seem concerned, just said I should have annual monitoring. And then there was that awful scare with my abnormal adenosine thallium stress test. I think my normal cath overrides that. But jeesh!

[Michelle F.]

I'd love to hear an update after you go to Cleveland. I will have my first real appointment with a cardiologist who knows anything about dysautonomia in 1 1/2 weeks. Don't know if this will even come up, but I have come across the topic in my reading and it interested me. Thanks for sharing!

Michelle F.