Cardiac hypertrophy is the enlargement of the heart muscle, often caused by high blood pressure. It can be dangerous and lead to heart function-related deaths. However, mild hypertrophy in pregnant women and athletes is usually not harmful. Symptoms include shortness of breath, decreased ability to exercise, dizziness or fainting, and heart palpitations.
Cardiac hypertrophy refers to the enlargement of the heart muscle through a variety of factors. While often related to chronic hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy can sometimes actually be a normal physiologic response. In most cases, however, enlarged heart muscle is dangerous to the body and is considered a major factor in heart function-related deaths.
Most often, abnormal growth of heart muscle occurs in one of the heart’s two lower chambers: the left and right ventricle. These areas are responsible for pumping blood; the left ventricle pumps blood to most of the body, while the right mainly supplies only the lungs. Hypertrophy can occur on either side, although several underlying conditions are related to the development of enlargement in each ventricle.
There are two instances where cardiac hypertrophy may actually benefit its host. Pregnant women may experience mild heart enlargement due to increased heart stress. This condition usually reverses after pregnancy ends and is rarely considered harmful. Competitive athletes can also develop mild hypertrophy from high amounts of cardiovascular exercise. Because exercise is associated with lower cardiac risk overall, hypertrophy developed as a physiological response to exercise is rarely a cause for concern.
The most common risk factor for the development of cardiac hypertrophy is high blood pressure, also known as high blood pressure. High blood pressure occurs when blood and blood vessels have to work harder to push blood through the body. This, in turn, means that the heart has to work harder to pump the required amount of blood at the required force, which can lead to muscle enlargement. High blood pressure plays a greater role in the development of left ventricular hypertrophy, while lung diseases such as emphysema are more likely to cause abnormal growth in the right ventricle.
Other risk factors for developing the disease include obesity, muscular dystrophy, and other heart problems, such as cardiomyopathy. It’s important to note that some people develop the condition without evidence of other heart problems; because the symptoms can be relatively mild, the first sign of the disease can be a heart attack or even death. Hypertrophy is often associated with the sudden death of endurance runners or other athletes, especially in the case of adolescent or young adult athletes who would not normally be considered at risk for heart problems.
Symptoms of cardiac hypertrophy can be difficult to detect at first and tend to become more apparent over time. They may include shortness of breath, decreased ability to exercise, dizziness or fainting, and bouts of heart palpitations. Those with high blood pressure should be on the lookout for symptoms that may indicate hypertrophy.
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