What life expectancy do I still have?
January 12, 2010 | 10,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Olaf Stephan
Hello, I will briefly report my case! I am 37 years old, 178cm tall, and weigh 75kg. On 9.11.09, I had an embolus-like partial infarction of the left brain with transient dysphasia, a spontaneously open large persistent foramen ovale with R-L shunt due to hypermobile atrial septum, dyslipidemia, and MTHFR mutation. On 5.1.10, the PFO was closed with a 2.5cm occluder and I am doing well! I also have issues with my deep leg veins and should wear compression stockings. Now I am wondering about my life expectancy! I used to smoke up to 20 cigarettes a day before the incident, now I only smoke 2-3 cigarettes a day and occasionally smoke a joint in the evening if I can't calm down because my mind is racing. I am afraid of having another episode! My primary care physician does not see it as so dramatic, I believe he thinks I am not doing so bad! Am I a sick person or did fate just strike randomly? Can strokes be a one-time occurrence?
Dear inquirer,
To get straight to the point, the question of life expectancy is too speculative, as it depends on a variety of factors and more or less fateful events in your life overall. You cannot expect an answer to it from anyone. The description of your case suggests that a thrombus, likely originating from the leg-pelvis area, caused the brain infarction through the open foramen ovale. Such a case is not uncommon, especially in younger people. Now that the PFO has been closed with a small device, a brain infarction following this causal chain should no longer happen to you in the future. However, you still have other risk factors to consider for the future (e.g. lipid metabolism disorder or smoking), which you can influence yourself to optimize your life expectancy. Regarding the leg and pelvic veins, an ultrasound examination of the vessels can determine whether there are existing or past thromboses. Smoking is unhealthy in any case, not only for other organs, and the same applies even more to drug use. You should decide for yourself whether a life without addictive substances might be better for you. An important thrombogenic factor in women is also the combination of birth control pills and smoking, especially for those over 35 years of age. If you have relevant anxiety disorders, it is strongly recommended that you consult a psychotherapist to identify the cause of the anxiety and initiate an optimal therapy for you. It is strongly advised against self-treatment with cannabis, as in the long run it will only intensify anxieties and create dependencies.
Overall, things are not looking so bad for you, as I must agree with your primary care physician. By making some changes in your life (as mentioned above), you can have a statistically almost normal life expectancy.
Best regards,
Olaf Stephan.
