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General health

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Original poster

Pectus excavatum

10 replies

waterbaby82 · 31/10/2013 15:41

Hi there,

My husband has this, and I am pregnant and concerned it maybe passed onto our baby. Does anyone have any experience of this?

Thanks x

OP posts:

khm1998 · 31/10/2013 23:37

I have this to a mild degree but not certain if inherited or not, my dad may also have it - it sort of hard to tell. Mine was more noticeable before adolescent and developing breasts, now it's absolutely not obvious to the naked eye.

I have three DC and as far as I can tell none of them inherited this condition. It never really caused me any problems. Although I was diagnosed with tachycardia as a teenager and the doctors suggested that my pectus excavatum could have triggered it, but this theory still remains unproven after 20 yrs...

Original poster

waterbaby82 · 01/11/2013 06:23

Thanks very much. Just to ask, are your children boys or girls as I know it can be more common in boys?

OP posts:

khm1998 · 02/11/2013 21:27

I have both, our DS is 6 now so I think it would definitely be visible by now if he had PE. My brother also doesn't have it.

And even though my PE is mild it still shows up on xrays (a shadow is cast over the right side of my lungs). The most annoying thing was when I was recently misdiagnosed with pneumonia by my British GP. I was on holiday overseas at the time when I got the phone call from the UK to get myself down to the GP asap... If only the British drs had asked me to take my top off whilst listening to my chest or when taking the xray, they would have noticed the chest deformity straightaway. As I'm sure it's obvious to the medically trained even in Britain just as it was to the nice European drs when I ended up in hospital over there after that phone call.

Original poster

waterbaby82 · 04/11/2013 09:22

Thanks so much for all your info....you poor thing with your misdiagnoses! Last question, does anyone else in your family have it, parents/grandparents? No one else in my husbands does, although some reports say it seems to be genetic!

OP posts:

khm1998 · 04/11/2013 23:54

Apparently my paternal grandfather had a similar looking chest, but never medically confirmed. As I said before, it never really bothered me and I only learnt the proper name of my condition a few years ago. I remember googling it for the first time and being amazed at how extreme some of these cases can look.
Is your husband one of those extreme cases and that's why you're so worried about it? Hope you don't mind me asking...

Original poster

waterbaby82 · 05/11/2013 09:05

No his isn't extreme, moderate I would say, but he has always been very self concious of it. Think it must be my pregnancy hormones whizzing around too! Thanks again.

OP posts:

CecyHall · 05/11/2013 09:11

My son has this, it's not caused any problems so far but he's only 2. The doctor didn't seem overly interested in it either.

5madthings · 05/11/2013 09:14

My ds3 has this and its noticeable in that drs always notice it and his chest is very dippy and diff from his siblings, but it not sevreenough to be a problem but they did keep an eye on it.

Anyway he is almost nine and very proud if his odd ribcage, I don't have it and nor does dp but I found out recently that my mil has it! I just thought it was one if those things, but maybe it is genetic?

Out of our five (4boys 1girl) only ds3 has it.

I a, not sure at what age it was noticed either, he was poorly when he was 5/6 with kawasakies disease, and needed heart check ups and all the medical staff noticed his chest then and commented on it. And again this summer he hurt his eye and as they thought they might need to operate they gave him a full exam and noted his chest.

As I say it gets noted but they are not concerned by it, it is noticeably different to his siblings. But he thinks its cool.

happypotamus · 05/11/2013 20:58

My DH has this too. He is considering surgery at the age of 33. He has an appointment next week to see a surgeon in London. We have a 2yr old DD. She doesn't seem to have it, but I notice DH checking her regurlarly. I didn't really consider it as an issue while I was pregnant, but that is because DH has only more recently started telling me how he feels it affects his breathing, previously I only knew how it affected him psychologically, and at the time his family were also being investigated for inherited cardiac conditions which was much more of a concern.

SilasGreenback · 05/11/2013 21:15

All three of my ds have it to varying degrees - but none very terrible. Neither dh or I have it, but I think my db probably does and maybe my FIL did?

It doesn't seem to bother them and hope it doesn't - one is a young teen, so may start to worry him more.

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