Heart Question: Hypertrophy

My civvie Gustav has a hypertrophy in left heart chamber, thickening of the walls in left heart chamber. Diagnosed last year since I pushed for a heart ultra sound which we had never done before.


He also had high blood pressure, 240-250, before he started with the medications Norvasc amlodipin and Fortekor benazepril.

His vet Björn, very experienced, thinks the hypertrophy of the left chamber is secondary to the high blood pressure .... did that make sense? that first came the high blood pressure which then gave the hypertrophy.


My question now is concerning the hypertrophy: Does the thickening of the walls in the heart chamber gets worse as times goes by? Gustav might have had it for longer than since last year, and he is 17 this year, and I want to know what I am facing. Will he get a heart attack one day out of the blue? Or will he gradually become lethargic and more tired and difficult to breath?

He isn't a sporty guy, have never been, so since becoming older he just lay and sleep most of the day's 24 hours. Should I let him do this or should I try and get him to exercise a little, or will exercise risk anything with his heart?


I've never had this old cats, and when they get heart issues, I don't know what to expect. And what to look out for.

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

Much obliged to anyone that can shed some light on this for me.

 

Never mind, I'm much obliged to myself

found this

"Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an enlargement of the left pumping chamber of the heart and may be due to several different things. The most common cause is high blood pressure. Other causes are due to exercise (athletic hypertrophy) and congenital (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or HOCM).

The diagnosis of LVH is usually made by echocardiogram. The walls of the ventricle can be measured and a thickness of greater than 1.5 cm is considered enlarged. Athletic hypertrophy is usually less than this thickness and will return to normal size with cessation of the activity. HOCM may be diagnosed in the absence of other causes of LVH and with the presence of a family history.

The treatment of LVH depends on the cause. Hypertensive LVH is treated by controlling the blood pressure. Some antihypertensive drugs may cause LVH to regress but this is controversial. Athletic hypertrophy does not require treatment. HOCM is a rare condition that should be followed by a cardiologist with expertise in this area. It may require medical or surgical management.

Long term prognosis of LVH is good. There is an increased propensity to heart failure (see previous questions on heart failure) so a correct diagnosis and proper treatment is essential to decrease this risk.

I would follow your doctor's instructions in regard to exercise. If athletic hypertrophy is suspected then he may ask you to stop exercising for a time. If the LVH is due to high blood pressure then it may not be necessary to stop exercise."



High blood pressure and its result conditions should interest all diabetics, since at one point down the time, the diabetic kidneys start dysfunction and often give high blood pressure.