Medication
- If you’re a smoker, quit smoking. ...
- If you’re obese or overweight, lose some weight. ...
- If you have diabetes, manage your blood sugars, as uncontrolled blood sugars can cause all sorts of health problems and lead to the development of heart problems. ...
- Control any other comorbidities you may have. ...
- Add more physical activity to your lifestyle.
Procedures
Method 4 Method 4 of 4: Medication Options
- Take angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. When you are diagnosed with a condition that causes an enlarged heart, your doctor may prescribe you ACE inhibitors.
- Treat heart tissue scarring with diuretics. If you have an enlarged heart, especially if it due to cardiomyopathy, your doctor may prescribe diuretics.
- Use beta-blockers. ...
Nutrition
To treat an enlarged heart, you should try to eat foods low in salt, fat, and cholesterol, such as fruits, vegetables, and lean meats, which help reduce your blood pressure. You should also try to do regular cardio exercise like walking or swimming, as this will help treat the underlying causes of your enlarged heart.
How do you shrink an enlarged heart?
Yes, an enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) can pose a serious threat by increasing the risk of heart failure or stroke. This is because the heart has greater difficulty pumping blood. If the enlarged heart is due to pregnancy or strenuous exercise, it may return to its normal size. But most underlying causes will require treatment.
How to treat and manage an enlarged heart?
How do you treat an enlarged heart?
How dangerous can having a slightly enlarged heart be?
How to prevent heart enlargement?
Yet you can prevent later damage to your heart that can make it enlarge by: eating a heart-healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables, lean poultry, fish, low-fat dairy, and whole grains. limiting salt, along with saturated and trans fats.
What does it mean when your heart is enlarged?
An enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) means that your heart is bigger than normal. Your heart can become enlarged if the muscle works so hard that it thickens, or if the chambers widen. An enlarged heart isn’t a disease. It’s a symptom of a heart defect or condition that makes the heart work harder, such as cardiomyopathy, heart valve problems, ...
What is the condition that causes a hole in the heart?
Congenital conditions. Congenital cardiomegaly is a heart disorder you’re born with. Congenital heart defects that cause this symptom include: atrial septal defect, a hole in the wall separating the two upper chambers of the heart. ventricular septal defect, a hole in the wall separating the two lower chambers of the heart.
Why does my heart get bigger?
Any disease that makes your heart work harder to pump blood through your body can cause an enlarged heart. Just as the muscles of your arms and legs get bigger when you work them, your heart gets bigger when you work it. The most common causes of an enlarged heart are ischemic heart disease and high blood pressure.
What is the term for a progressive heart disease?
Cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is a progressive heart disease with several types. Diseases that damage the heart muscle can cause it to enlarge. The more damage that occurs, the weaker and less able to pump the heart becomes.
What is the first test to see if your heart is enlarged?
A chest X-ray may be the first test your doctor does because it can show whether your heart is enlarged. Tests like these can help your doctor find the cause of the enlargement: Echocardiogram (ECG or EKG) uses sound waves to look for problems with your heart’s chambers.
What is the name of the hole in the wall that separates the lower chambers of the heart?
ventricular septal defect, a hole in the wall separating the two lower chambers of the heart. coarctation of the aorta, a narrowing of the aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. patent ductus arteriosus, a hole in the aorta.
What does it mean when your heart is enlarged?
Enlarged heart, in heart failure. As the heart weakens, as it can with heart failure, it begins to enlarge, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood on to the rest of the body. An enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) isn't a disease, but rather a sign of another condition.
What are the complications of an enlarged heart?
Complications of an enlarged heart can include: Heart failure. An enlar ged left ventricle, one of the most serious types of enlarged heart, increases the risk of heart failure.
What causes the left ventricle to enlarge?
High blood pressure. Your heart may have to pump harder to deliver blood to the rest of your body, enlarging and thickening the muscle. High blood pressure can cause the left ventricle to enlarge, causing the heart muscle eventually to weaken. High blood pressure may also enlarge the upper chambers of your heart.
Why does my heart look enlarged on X-rays?
Accumulation of fluid in the sac that contains your heart may cause your heart to appear enlarged on a chest X-ray. Blocked arteries in your heart (coronary artery disease). With this condition, fatty plaque in your heart arteries obstruct blood flow through your heart vessels, which can lead to a heart attack.
What happens when your heart is in a dilated state?
In heart failure, your heart muscle weakens, and the ventricles stretch (dilate) to the point that the heart can't pump blood efficiently throughout your body. Blood clots. Having an enlarged heart may make you more susceptible to forming blood clots in the lining of your heart.
What are the four valves that open and close to direct blood flow through the heart?
Heart valve disease. The heart has four valves — aortic, mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid — that open and close to direct blood flow through your heart.
What is the condition where the heart pumps blood?
Cardiomyopathy. This disease of the heart makes it harder for your heart to pump blood throughout your body. As it progresses, your heart may enlarge to try to pump more blood. High blood pressure in the artery that connects your heart and lungs (pulmonary hypertension).
What is an enlarged heart?
What's an enlarged heart? An enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) refers to a heart that is bigger than typical. The heart may be unusually thick or dilated (stretched). An enlarged heart may be temporary or permanent, depending on the cause. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.
What are the health risks of an enlarged heart?
The health risks of an enlarged heart depend on the cause. They also depend on which part of your heart is enlarged. Potential health complications from an enlarged heart can include: Blood clots, which can block blood flow and lead to a heart attack, stroke or pulmonary embolism (clot in the lung).
Why does my heart get enlarged?
Some people may have an enlarged heart because of a temporary condition, such as pregnancy. Or underlying conditions , such as high blood pressure or cardiomyopathy, may lead to an enlarged heart. You can prevent cardiomegaly by living a healthy lifestyle and managing risk factors. Though an enlarged heart may not go away, ...
What are the best medications for heart disease?
Common heart medications include: Anti-arrhythmics to keep your heart beating in a normal rhythm. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to lower your blood pressure. Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) to lower your blood pressure . Anticoagulants to reduce your risk of blood clots.
Why does my heart get bigger?
Some people have an enlarged heart because of temporary factors, such as pregnancy or an infection. In these cases, your heart will return to its usual size after treatment. If your enlarged heart is due to a chronic (ongoing) condition, it usually will not go away.
What is the purpose of an echocardiogram?
Echocardiogram to evaluate and create an image of your heartbeat and blood flow. Electrocardiogram (EKG) to study your heart’s electrical activity. Exercise stress test, raising your heart rate with medicine or exercise to learn how your heart responds.
How to help your heart beat?
Implant a pacemaker to help your heart beat a steady rhythm. Place an implantable cardioverted-defibrillator (ICD), a device that can shock your heart back into rhythm. Repair or replace a damaged heart valve. Coronary artery bypass or stent placement.
What does it mean when your heart is enlarged?
Clinically known as cardiomegaly, an enlarged heart is a sign of a heart that’s been weakened by injury or disease. “Cardiomegaly isn’t a disease, but rather a sign of another condition,” says Dr. Khalid Sheikh, a cardiologist with Health First Medical Group in Melbourne, Florida.
What causes a weak heart?
In response to this, the heart may enlarge and become weaker. Myocarditis. This inflammatory condition of the heart muscle can disrupt the heart’s electrical signaling, which can constrict the heart’s ability to pump blood and cause arrhythmias.
What is the most common cause of cardiomegaly?
Ischemic heart disease. “One of the most common causes of cardiomegaly is ischemic heart disease ,” Karas says. Also known as coronary artery disease, coronary heart disease or more generally as simply heart disease, ischemic heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the U.S. today, responsible for 1 in every 4 deaths or about 610,000 deaths per year ...
Does alcohol affect the heart?
Long-term abuse of alcohol weakens the heart muscle, making it less effective at pumping blood. Hormonal changes. “Various hormone systems affect the heart function,” Hasan says, and hormonal disruptions can lead to a dilation or enlargement of the heart. This is why some women experience cardiomegaly during pregnancy.
Can cardiomegaly be detected on X-rays?
Diagnosis. Often, cardiomegaly is found incidentally, as part of a routine physical or treatment for another condition. It can be detected on X-rays, and when it is discovered, it’s important to see a cardiologist to determine the cause and appropriate treatment.
Is it better to prevent or treat cardiomegaly?
As with any medical condition, prevention is always preferable to treatment, and it’s possible to reduce your chances of ever developing cardiomegaly by staying on top of your health, particularly if you have risk factors such as diabetes or heart disease.
Can cardiomegaly cause shortness of breath?
Symptoms. Although many patients may have no symptoms related to cardiomegaly, some people do have signs that could point to a problem. Carry says these symptoms may include “shortness of breath that’s out of proportion with the exertion level” and edema, or swelling, particularly of the lower legs.
What is an enlarged heart?
What is Enlarged Heart? Enlarged heart refers to enlargement of either the heart chamber size or the heart muscle size in a process known as hypertrophy.
What is the process of enlarge heart?
This redistribution of wall stress leads the heart to enlarge over time in a process called remodeling.
What is the difference between aortic regurgitation and mitral regurgitation?
In aortic regurgitation, that same valve is leaky and there is a different type of stress in addition known as volume overload. Aortic regurgitation is somewhat unique in that there is pressure and volume overload leading to both enlarged heart chambers and thick heart muscle. In mitral regurgitation the mitral valve that separates ...
Why does the heart become thick?
The heart becomes thick to compensate in a form of enlarged heart called concentric hypertrophy. The thick heart, although pumps well, does not relax well and that can lead to heart failure, and if not treated in time can lead to severely reduced heart function and weak muscle. In aortic regurgitation, that same valve is leaky ...
What is the right sided enlarged heart?
The right side of the heart is not able to cope with large pressures in the same way the left side does, so in periods of stress it may enlarge and fail immediately.
Why does the heart enlarge when you lift weights?
If you go to the gym and lift weights, your muscles get bigger as a response to the weight and enlarge, its called hypertrophy . The heart enlarges in the same way; ultimately it’s about minimizing stress.
Is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy a genetic disease?
In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy the heart is very thick. There is also a genetic component to an en larged heart known as dilated cardiomyopathy. This is different in that the walls of the heart are thin and the heart chamber sizes enlarge while the heart pumping function can severely diminish. Valve Disease and Enlarged Heart – Different heart valve ...
Why does my heart get enlarged?
You may develop an enlarged heart temporarily because of a stress on your body, such as pregnancy, or because of a medical condition, such as the weakening of the heart muscle, coronary artery disease, heart valve problems or abnormal heart rhythms.
What to do if you have a heart attack?
If you have new signs or symptoms that might be related to your heart, make an appointment to see your doctor. Seek emergency medical care if you have any of these signs and symptoms, which may mean you’re having a heart attack: Chest pain.
Why does my left ventricle get enlarged?
This can cause an enlarged left ventricle due to weakening of the heart muscle.
What is the name of the valve that carries blood from the heart to the body?
Aortic valve, between the left ventricle and the aorta. This aorta carries blood from the heart to the body. Each valve has a set of flaps (also called leaflets or cusps). The mitral valve has two flaps; the others have three. Valves are like doors that open and close.
What are the two upper chambers of the heart called?
Two upper chambers are called atrium (two is called an atria). The atria collect blood as it flows into the heart. Two lower chambers are called ventricles. The ventricles pump blood out of the heart to the lungs or other parts of the body.
How many chambers does the heart have?
The heart has four chambers 1), two on the right and two on the left: Two upper chambers are called atrium (two is called an atria).
How does the heart work?
When the cells are nourished properly, the body can function normally. Just like an engine makes a car go, the heart keeps your body running. The heart has two pumps. The stronger pump (left side of the heart) uses arteries to send blood with oxygen away from the heart, throughout the body.
What is enlarged heart?
An enlarged heart, also known as cardiomegaly, is a condition that occurs when the heart has to work harder as a result of stress, infection, or heart disease.
What are the consequences of an enlarged heart?
Dizzy spells or fainting. Radiating pain or discomfort originating in the shoulder and going down the arms, back, neck, or stomach. The most devastating consequences of an enlarged heart are sudden cardiac arrest and heart attack.
Why are people with cardiomegaly at risk for blood clots?
Blood clots: People with cardiomegaly are at risk of blood clots because blood flow becomes stagnated. Blood clots that enter the bloodstream not only impede blood flow but may also put you at higher risk of heart attack or stroke, especially if you have a higher risk of cardiovascular complications such as a history of diabetes, ...
How to diagnose cardiomegaly?
Cardiomegaly can be diagnosed via chest X-ray, but this is far from the best way to diagnose it. The chest X-ray may alert the physician to an enlarged heart, but the confirmatory, or true diagnosis, will come from additional, more specific testing such as an echocardiogram, cardiac MRI, or cardiac CT scan. 1.
What happens if your heart is enlarged?
Cardiac arrest and sudden death: An enlarged heart may disrupt the heart’s electrical system, which can lead to a cardiac arrest. This can sometimes result in sudden death. Heart failure: If the heart is so enlarged that it loses its ability to pump blood throughout the body, we call this heart failure.
What are the complications of a damaged heart muscle?
Complications. A damaged heart muscle can lead to stagnated blood flow, arrhythmias, and even death. Complications are most often due to dilated cardiomyopathy, a thinning of the ventricle walls that leads to an enlarged heart. The ventricles generate most of the pumping force of the heart.
Why does my heart enlarge?
An enlarged heart is usually the result of disease or health problems , but if the enlargement only lasts for a short while before returning to its normal size, there is likely a less ominous explanation—like pregnancy or a history of strenuous exercise.
What is the goal of heart transplant?
heart transplant, which is considered a last resort. The goal of treatment is to help your heart be as efficient as possible and to prevent further damage and loss of function.
What is the term for a heart muscle that is too weak to pump blood?
Dilated cardiomyopathy. The most common form, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), occurs when your heart muscle is too weak to pump blood efficiently. The muscles stretch and become thinner. This allows the chambers of your heart to expand. This is also known as enlarged heart.
What is the term for a progressive disease of the heart muscle?
Cardiomyopathy is a progressive disease of the myocardium, or heart muscle. In most cases, the heart muscle weakens and is unable to pump blood to the rest of the body as well as it should. There are many different types of cardiomyopathy caused by a range of factors, from coronary heart disease to certain drugs.
What is the term for a condition where blood is not flowing through the heart?
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is believed to be genetic. It occurs when your heart walls thicken and prevent blood from flowing through your heart. It’s a fairly common type of cardiomyopathy. It can also be caused by long-term high blood pressure or aging.
What are the risks of cardiomyopathy?
Cardiomyopathy can affect people of all ages. Major risk factors include the following: 1 a family history of cardiomyopathy, sudden cardiac arrest, or heart failure 2 coronary heart disease 3 diabetes 4 severe obesity 5 sarcoidosis 6 hemochromatosis 7 amyloidosis 8 heart attack 9 long-term high blood pressure 10 alcoholism
When does cardiomyopathy occur?
Most of the following types of cardiomyopathy belong to one of the previous four classifications, but each has unique causes or complications. Peripartum cardiomyopathy occurs during or after pregnancy. This rare type occurs when the heart weakens within five months of delivery or within the final month of pregnancy.
What is it called when you have a heart muscle in the womb?
Diagnosis may occur at any stage of life. When cardiomyopathy affects a child, it’s called pediatric cardiomyopathy. If you have idiopathic cardiomyopathy, it means there’s no known cause.
Overview
Symptoms
Causes
Risk Factors
Specialist to consult
Complications
Prevention
- If you have an enlarged heart or any type of heart disease, your health care provider will likely recommend following a heart-healthy lifestyle. Such a lifestyle typically includes: 1. Reducing or avoiding salt 2. Limiting saturated and trans fats 3. Eating plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grain foods 4. Avoiding or limiting alcohol and caffe...