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Are these heart conditions normal?

I am a 62 year old male. Have poorly controlled asthma that is high risk/severe. I have had prednisone induced diabetes at one time of 9.4 a1c.

Dilated inferior vena cava
Leaky pulmonary valve
Enlarged heart. left sided

Which ones do you think I might recover from? And how? Are they normal?
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Avatar universal
y mother has that problem and it is pulmonary hypertension believe it or not they treat it with viagra, Hope this helps
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15695260 tn?1549593113
Hello, welcome to the forum.  Thanks for the question and we're sorry you are dealing with these heart conditions.  Your question is a good one and we'll try to help. First though, it would be best if you ask your cardiologist this same question. That is always your best source of information as they know the particulars of you specifically rather than just general information.  

So, first, dilated inferior vena cava. The inferior vena cava (IVC)is a large venous structure which delivers blood into the right atrium of the heart. It is usually <2cm in diameter. Anything that increases right atrial pressure will cause a subsequent increase in pressure inside the IVC resulting in dilation. However, if the pressure is reduced the IVC may return to its normal size. So, it could go back to normal if you reduce the pressure.  
Leaky pulmonary valve is also called pulmonary valve regurgitation.   This valve helps control the flow of blood passing from the right ventricle to the lungs. A leaky pulmonary valve allows blood to flow back into the heart chamber before it gets to the lungs for oxygen.  https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-valve-problems-and-disease/heart-valve-problems-and-causes/problem-pulmonary-valve-regurgitation

These two things are likely interrelated.  Please talk to your doctor.

Enlarged left side of the heart is called Left ventricular hypertrophy or LVH for short. Left ventricular hypertrophy is enlargement and thickening (hypertrophy) of the walls of your heart's main pumping chamber (left ventricle). The thickened heart wall loses elasticity, leading to increased pressure to allow the heart to fill its pumping chamber to send blood to the rest of the body. Eventually, the heart may fail to pump with as much force as needed.  High blood pressure is a leading cause.  Do you have high blood pressure?  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/left-ventricular-hypertrophy/symptoms-causes/syc-20374314

What prompted you to have testing done?  What types of symptoms are you having?  How is your doctor currently treating these things?  
  
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2 Comments
I was triggered many times by the asthma. I have asthma damage in my lungs. Lungs on the bottom of them was filled with old fluid.  I was coughing up blood for about a year straight. Short of breath. Triggers. Could not walk. When triggered by asthma, my lungs fill with thick fluid I can't cough out.

I was also told I had high pulmonary pressure too.

I have had high blood pressure for some 30 years. Low level Losartan potassium covers it. The enlarged heart came from a time frame years before this when my blood pressure was not an issue. Although with many trigger events, ER trips, coughing up blood and not able to do a 5 minute walk my blood pressure did rise many times at Doctor visits at 200/120. No change in blood pressure medicine ever.  The enlarged heart first happened in 2014, found again in 2016.

I was given more drugs for asthma. A Nebulizer too. These helped greatly. Not only for the asthma but the blood pressure as well.

Heart Doctor says all 3 heart conditions are normal and nothing needs to be done. Enlarged heart is diet control. Leaky pulmonary valve is normal for people my age. Nothing at all about the dilated vena cava.

Hence my question if this is normal. I believe I need a 2nd opinion.
I also read the article on enlarged heart. When it was first found in 2014, I could hardly walk. I had severe foot pain, later was told it was nerve damage. I was told by a provider that I had prednisone induced diabetes. While the lung doctor told me my a1c was high due to food. Since being off prednisone, my a1c was gone back to normal or pre-diabetes.

Mayo said Diabetes. The risk of left ventricular hypertrophy is higher in people with diabetes. So I assume my risk was higher at that point in time. Not saying later high blood pressure could again affect it.

Does an enlarged heart ever heal itself? When diabetes goes away, get better on it's own? Or when blood pressure is brought down for whatever reason, will it heal itself?
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