
Male 74. Went To E.R. For Lower Back Pain .

Usually, nothing to be too concerned about
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using 'Ask A Doctor' service.
An enlarged heart at your age would usually be due to heart hypertrophy, or thickening of the muscle of the heart.
Like any other muscle, the heart muscle will enlarge if it has to work harder than usual. I would want to know if you had high blood pressure at all since that is a common cause and would explain this finding.
However, this change takes place over several years, and so you most likely had this for a long time and didn't know it. Sometimes this can develop into heart failure, which would cause symptoms like shortness of breath and swelling in your legs.
As long as you don't have any of these symptoms, and your blood pressure is controlled (ideally under 130/80mmHG), then there isn't anything you necessarily need to do about it, though you might talk with your doctor about getting an echocardiogram just to see exactly how the heart is pumping blood.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any other questions, I would be glad to discuss it with you further.


The heart muscle may improve with blood pressure control.
Detailed Answer:
Yes, it makes sense that you would have high blood pressure, and perhaps you had it for awhile before you became aware of it. Since you are not having symptoms, I would say you have a good prognosis and there is a good chance you will never have any problems with the heart.
Medications to control the blood pressure can help to relieve some of the stress on the heart, and this may decrease the size of your heart over time. I would just keep focused on keeping your blood pressure under good control and that should make the most difference in keeping your heart in good shape.
Please let me know if you have any other questions, I'd be glad to help any way I can.


No need to worry
Detailed Answer:
I think you are doing fine, I wouldn't be too worried and try to relax. You be blessed as well, I was just in Louisiana visiting a buddy and we had some good crawfish down there. But the bacon wrapped stuffed grilled jalapenos sound good too, I'll have to ask for those next time I'm down there.
Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with in the future, thank you for your question and take care.


Sounds good
Detailed Answer:
Likewise. I will make sure to check out those jalapenos. Take care!

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