Anyone know about Pectus excavatum - dinted chest/sternum

[whatsthis4]

Just been told I have this, picked up on on unrelated chest X-ray. I knew my chest always looked a bit different but didn't know there was a name for it. I'm in my 40's.

I've just googled and scared myself to death, anyone else have this or know anything about it

Dh was born with this and is also missing the muscle and nipple/mammary stuff on that side so its fairly obvious.

He's early 30s and so far its not caused any issues, his doctor has basically said it might cause some issues later which if really bad would mean surgery but in the meantime to try and keep trim as fat adds extra pressure and it may never cause a problem.

He also does yoga/pilates to help with posture as it does seem to impact that, I think because his centre points are off.

My dh has a moderate case of this. It’s mostly just cosmetic for him. It bothered him as a teen but it’s never bothered me (we met mid 20’s) and I don’t even notice it now. He gets a little chesty/ breathless in cold weather but not sure that’s related.

Thank you very much for replies, that have reassured me (-:
Doctor didn't really tell me much about it just that it should be okay but when I googled it worried me a bit. I try to keep fit and will try and do some yoga/Pilates when everywhere reopens again. Thanks again for replies

Bump

The cosmetic thing was a big issue for hubby in his teens as well but I've never been bothered by it.

These days its just part of who he is and he's not fussed. The breathless thing actually he does have but inhalers seem to do the job so doc thinks its unrelated.

Being female I have never really been conscious of it because it's not as noticeable as it would be if I was male (I think my boobs hide it well and it looks like a cleavage). GP wasn't interested it it really just said wont cause any problems. Has your DH seen dr or consultant about his

My dh saw dr about it in late teens as he intended to have corrective cosmetic surgery, but never went through with it.

My ds had p.e. & used to be extremely self conscious about it, always covering it up. He was also asthmatic. During puberty his ‘dent’ increased substantially & it affected his ability to play sport & he began to tire much more easily as his heart & lungs were compressed considerably. At 16 he had the nuss procedure & his confidence increased instantly. He is now 21, has had his bar removed & has not regretted it one bit.
As yours is not affecting your breathing I really wouldn’t worry about it.

I think there’s a massive range in terms of how severe it is.

Both my DH and my DM have it to a minor extent. But neither have had any issues as a result.

Mine does look quite severe but it's never caused my any health problems but doctors don't seem concerned, I've just never heard of anyone else with it so it's good to see on here that others have it with no problems.

@Badgerstmary so pleased your ds was able to get surgery. I have a ds and I had a look the other day and couldn't see he had it but he is still quite young.

I have it , diagnosed at 50 when I had various issues , my respiratory consultant said it’s the worse one he has ever seen and is pretty severe . I had chest issues as a baby / child and he was surprised that nothing had been done about it . I’ve always had an issue with being short of breath walking up hills despite being fairly fit but at the same time as the pectus excavatum I was also diagnosed with asthma and have emphysemic changes .

@Floralnomad did you only start having issues at 50 and has the consultant suggested anything now. I've never noticed or had any chest difficulties but do get a bit out of breath when running. In a way I kind of wish it hadn't been picked up because I've been panicking about it ever since finding out. I'm 42.

My sister and dad both have this - it impacted my sister more due to not being able to wear certain clothing, she’s also asthmatic. I don’t think it’s had much of an impact health wise though.

Theirs is very noticeable- if you’ve just had it diagnosed now does that mean you’re on the milder end?

@Nightmanagerfan thanks for replying, it does make me feel better hearing of others who have it.

I honestly don't know. My mum said she never noticed it when I was younger and I had all my checks etc but then as a teenager obviously she never saw my chest. I remember noticing the dint probably when I was about 16 but never really thought anything of it, it's only when I really look at it now I notice it and think it does look quite 'dinted'. None of my other sibling or parents or anything in the family that we know of have it

@whatsthis4 I’ve never been able to comfortably walk uphill even at my fittest . In 2017 I was seriously ill , had a few hospital admissions and the chest issues were picked up on some CT scans that I had . Since then I’ve been on steroid inhalers , fairly high dose , and it does help . My chest was not what I was actually ill with which is an endocrine issue . I have no plans to have anything done about the pectus excavatum .