Who else has a thickening of the heart?

[jazzlover]

Can't remember who it was? and Maybe there are others?

i just found out I have a MILD thickening of the heart. Doctor says it's likely from the Sjs. I also have atrial fibrillation.

[mshistory]

How did they determine that? I had an abnormal EKG that had something to do with electrical impulses being sent slightly slower than normal. I don't think it's cause for concern at this point, but will have to have a follow up EKG at some point next year. What does the SjS do that causes the valves or heart to thicken?

[LizPetillo]

Just wondering ... any symptoms alert you to this?

[jazzlover]

It showed up on an echocardiogram a few years ago. I was dxd with SJS in 2008. Not until someone here was hospitalized with it did I realize it was possibly connected to SJS. My cardiologist confirmed that it is.

I'm not sure what the symptoms would be since I also have A-fib.

[Carolina]

I have left ventricular hypertrophy, which is enlargement and thickening of the heart muscle.

It is due to my coronary artery disease, most likely.

I also have mild Diastolic dysfunction.

Diastolic dysfunction occurs when the ventricles of the heart become relatively "stiff," and thus it becomes relatively difficult to fill the ventricles with blood in between heart beats.

My heart is 'stiff' due to sclerosis due to plaque deposits from Coronary artery disease.

I have always been sero negative for all auto immune conditions.

Hugs

Elaine

[soycoffee]

I have left ventribular hypertrophy, diagnosed as a result of an emergency hospital visit and stay to "convert" my atrial fibrillation to normal 60 per minute heartbeat. That's why I'm on Coumadin/warfarin, to prevent clots and strokes, which are a risk now.

This was last December. The Sjögren's dx came, more or less, in October, when I produced positive ANA and SS-A.

No coronary artery disease  (CAD), but I do have atrial stenosis and atrial regurgitation -- both. Really distinctive heart sounds. I should make a recording! Probably not that unusual, or I'd see a parade of interns and students when I wind up in the hospital.

What does the SjS do that causes the valves or heart to thicken?

Beyond me, but I'll ask the friendly cardiologist, when I update him on the SjS, and then I'll report back.

Soycoffee

[Carolina]

Dear Liz,

No symptoms alert you to this.

This showed up on an echo cardiogram that was taken to exam my aortic arch which looked like I "might" have an aneurysm.   I didn't have a aneurysm, but other deterioration of my heart showed up.

My CAD 'felt like' terrible heart burn, on exertion and in the middle of the night while I was sleeping.  It treated as heart burn for two years, but kept getting worse.

I insisted on an esophageal endoscopy (my mother had esophageal cancer)to find out why it was hurting so much.  And it was just fine.

Which meant that I was having unstable angina.  Angina which can strike even while you're asleep.

My Left Anterior Descending Artery (known as the widow maker) was 95% blocked.  Along with two other arteries.

Three angioplasties and two stents, in 1999, solved the problem.

The CAD is progressing, however.  Even with 80 mg of Lipitor a day, exercise and doing the best I can with weigh and diet.

I had outrageously high cholesterol in my 30's, which showed up as rings of lipid around my irises.....often called Arcus Senilis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcus_senilis

This condition comes with age (I was only 37) or very high cholesterol.  I was pencil slim and eating on protein and veggies at the time.

My CAD is clearly hereditary/genetic.

When the doctor did the angioplasties and stents, he told me he preferred to do that now since I was only 57, and save the bypass surgery for later.

Last year the orthopedist said he would see me again to do the knee replacement!

I'm not sure I want to make it to either reunion!!!

Hugs

Elaine

[jazzlover]

In the back of my mind I'm thinking that the drying of the body causes the thickening... but that's just my guess. Not sure it even makes sense. I didn't think to ask the cardiologist.

[Carolina]

I think the thickening of the heart muscle is a response to the inflammation of Sjogren's.

Remember Sjogren's like Lupus and RA can affect any or all of your organs.

One Study result:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18328155

Valvular regurgitation, pericardial effusion, pulmonary hypertension and increased left ventricular mass index occur with disproportionately high frequency in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome and no clinically apparent heart disease. Thus echocardiographic studies may need to be performed in these patients especially when palpable purpura, antibody reactivity and low C4 levels are present.

http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/1/95.full

There seems to also be an idea that the variations in blood pressure caused by the autonomic dysfunctions of Sjogren's can cause the heart hypertrophy.

This quickly goes beyond my very limited medical knowledge!

At any rate, someone with Sjogren's should probably have some heart monitoring for sure.

Hugs

Elaine

[jazzlover]

If it's from inflammation, then my history of Lyme disease could be the main reason. I don't know. I am checked every 6 months. I do not have coronary artery disease either, by the way. (but do have MVP with regurgitation)
Thanks for the links!