Increase in the volume of the heart or the size of the heart muscle tissue.
Enlargement of the heart.
Usually due to some form of cardiac disease (e.g., hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy). Mild cardiomegaly may be normal in some very athletic individuals.
Enlargement of the heart. The heart can increase in size as a result of disease that places extra workload on it, such as hypertension (high blood pressure), congestive heart failure, Or excessive alcohol use. This condition is known as pathological cardiomegaly. Cardiomegaly can cause a number of symptoms, such as edema (swelling) in the lower extremities, shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms), and palpitations (fast, irregular heartbeat). Treatment consists of treating the causative condition and making necessary lifestyle changes, such as abstaining from alcohol.
Describing a medical condition characterized by an enlarged heart, exceeding its normal size.
The expansion of the heart, known as cardiac enlargement, can manifest as either hypertrophy, which refers to the thickening of the heart muscle, or dilatation, which involves an increase in volume in one or more of the heart chambers.
Hypertrophy of the heart muscle occurs in conditions where the heart is subjected to increased workload, necessitating a greater pumping effort. These conditions encompass hypertension, characterized by elevated blood pressure, resulting in thickening of the left ventricle wall; pulmonary hypertension, involving heightened blood pressure in the lungs, leading to thickening of the right ventricle wall; and a specific form of cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease, wherein one or both ventricles’ walls may undergo thickening.
The enlargement of a heart chamber can result from the incompetence of a heart valve, which fails to close effectively following a contraction. Aortic insufficiency, for instance, occurs when the aortic valve does not fully close, permitting the backflow of blood from the aorta into the left ventricle after each contraction. Over time, this process leads to the dilation and enlargement of the chamber.
The symptoms of cardiomegaly may remain absent until the heart reaches a size where it becomes incapable of managing additional stress, such as during physical exertion or in the presence of an infection. The compromised pumping efficiency of the heart ultimately culminates in heart failure, characterized by breathlessness and swelling of the ankles.
The diagnosis of cardiomegaly involves a physical examination, chest X-ray, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) to assess the heart’s electrical activity. Treatment is aimed at addressing the root cause of the condition.