Chef's persistent symptoms at last lead to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy diagnosis
![经过多年的症状, Shawn Lewis finally received diagnoses of 心 failure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.](/-/media/Images/Around-the-AHA/ShawnLewis_SC.jpg)
在痛苦、沮丧的四年里,肖恩·刘易斯(Shawn Lewis)生病了.
“我总是得肺炎, 支气管炎, 肿胀, 否则我的哮喘就会发作,刘易斯说。, 当时住在乔治亚州的厨师. “情况非常糟糕,我几乎喘不过气来. 就在那时我去了急诊室."
In the emergency room, doctors told her she had congestive 心 failure. 但在咨询了几位心脏病专家之后, she found out that her diagnosis was more specific – hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 或HCM. The disease is usually caused by abnormal genes that make the septum, 心脏主泵腔的壁, 变厚变硬, 在某些情况下,减少进出心脏的血液流量.
HCM是一种心肌, 或心肌, disorder that can't be explained by another cardiac or systemic disease. 在某些情况下, people with HCM are at greater risk for developing abnormal 心 rhythms, including atrial fibrillation – a quivering or irregular 心beat that can lead to blood clots, 中风或其他心脏问题.
HCM是一种慢性进行性疾病. As HCM progresses, it can cause 心 failure in some patients. Heart failure means that the 心 isn't able to keep up with the needs of the body.
这就是发生在路易斯身上的事.
In 2015, 她搬到了加州, where she eventually was hospitalized for 65 days battling HCM symptoms such as fatigue and 呼吸急促(气促) before getting a temporary 心 pump a left ventricular assist device. 然后,在2016年,她接受了心脏移植手术.
但次年,HCM夺去了她父亲和儿子的生命.
"My son was diagnosed with HCM when he was 34 and he passed when he was 37," Lewis said. “年轻的, I don't think he thought it was as bad as it was – he thought he had it under control and could manage it."
曾经被认为是稀有和绝症的, HCM会导致疲劳, 晕倒, 呼吸急促(气促), 胸痛或心悸. 有些HCM患者没有任何症状. In a small percentage of cases, HCM can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
Lewis knows well the importance of recognizing the symptoms and working with her health care team to better monitor the disease.
“我的第一个医生不太适合我,”她说. "I knew there was no need to go any further – if they weren't listening to me, 我听不进去. 我告诉其他人不要害怕四处寻找. 是你的健康."
HCM的遗传性质, draining symptoms and winding road to diagnosis can take a mental toll, 说刘易斯, who had post-traumatic stress disorder from her diagnosis and chronic illness.
“如果你的身体不正常,你的思想也不会正常. 所以心理健康方面很重要."
尽管面临COVID-19大流行带来的挑战, 刘易斯很健康, connecting with her health care team regularly and looking after her mental well-being.
"My doctors told me in February to start staying home," she said. “这是一项精神挑战, but I'm walking inside my house and doing what I need to stay healthy."
Her advice for others with HCM: "Take it seriously and try to control it to the best of your ability."
了解更多关于肥厚性心肌病的信息 心.org/HCM.