Q: My sister-in-law suffered a stroke and a CT scan was carried out which showed left putaminal bleeding to the extent of 22 mm X 3 mm on the left side of the brain. After hospitalisation and treatment she recovered and was discharged. However, her Echo test report showed concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LV mass index - 144 GM/M2; normal upper limit 110), grade 1 diastolic dysfunction. All the other things were reported as normal. Kindly advise regarding the severity of the heart condition. Is it curable?

A:The echocardiographic findings suggest that the left ventricle (the pumping chamber which supplies blood to most of the body except lungs) is working under strain. The function of the ventricle however is normal. The commonest cause of this finding is high blood pressure. High BP is also the most likely cause of her stroke. Controlling the BP by drugs should reduce the hypertrophy. The abnormality thus is curable.