Losartan for a kid (aortic dilation)
Hello! I guess I'm reaching out because I feel lost. Our cardiologist is now recommending losartan for my four year old son. We've been seeing a cardiologist since he was born. He was born with a large VSD and a small ASD, both of which had closed on their own by the time he was two or so (the VSD is technically still there, but it's teeny tiny). They've also been monitoring his aorta, which is large. He's also a really tall, large kid, so I hadn't worried about it much, but it just kept growing and growing.
I should say here, our doctors are excellent, and I trust their judgement. Having said that, we've moved from monitoring to recommending medication, and frankly, I'm freaking out. My son also has severe autism, which makes it hard for him to communicate when he's in pain or experiencing some problem, so the thought of long-term medication is doubly concerning. Has anybody had a young child on Losartan? I'm worried about side effects and the long-term effects on his body. My other child also has a large aorta, but her z score is only 3, so they're less worried, but she may someday need to be on meds also. I can't decide how to feel about this. (They did DNA tests to look for connective tissue disorders, or anything to explain his aorta, and found nothing.)