An enlarged heart is when the heart is found to have increased in size as a result of other diseases. An abnormally enlarged heart can be in one of two major forms, namely, enlarged heart due to abnormally thick muscles such as in the case of hypertension or heart valve stenosis, which can cause the heart muscles to thicken; and enlarged heart due to poor heart muscle contractions that lead to blood accumulation in the heart’s chambers that causes the heart to grow larger.
An enlarged heart does not necessarily produce unusual symptoms. Symptoms that do occur will be caused by a disease and may be signs off heart failure, including excessive fatigue, labored breathing and chest tightness. A physical examination can allow you to know if your heart is significantly enlarged, but physical examinations generally focus more on identifying the cause of heart enlargement than on describing the size of the heart. One essential test is a chest x-ray (lung and heart x-ray). It is a basic diagnostic test that can identify many physical abnormalities. In particular, people who are over 35 years old should receive regular health check-ups. If the heart muscles are thicker than normal or if heart muscle death has occurred in the past, it will show up on an electrocardiogram. Meanwhile, a heart ultrasound or echocardiography can help you see the heart’s chambers and measure the size of the heart to determine whether or not there is enlargement. This test reveals heart valve function, the characteristics of the heart muscles and the heart’s ability to contract.
Signs of an Enlarged Heart
Most people with heart enlargement do not display any symptom if the heart is still functioning normally. On the other hand, if the heart has malfunctioned, various symptoms can occur, including breathing difficulty, excessive fatigue, rapid breathing, dizziness, getting tired easily, heart palpitations and swelling in the feet in the late morning hours, along with coughing at night and inability to lie flat due to chest tightness.
Causes of Heart Enlargement
- High blood pressure. In people with regularly high blood pressure, their heart will have to work harder than normal, which leads to heart enlargement.
- In patients with a heart valve disease, whether it is heart valve stenosis or heart valve regurgitation, or inflammation and infection in the heart valves, these conditions can lead to heart enlargement.
- A heart muscle disease known as cardiomyopathy. For example, people who have consumed alcohol for a long time can damage their heart muscles.
- In patients with diabetes, abnormal blood lipid levels are a major cause for heart malfunction.
- Congenital heart defects such as patent foramen oval.
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- High lung pressure.
- Prolonged anemia.
- Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism can cause heart enlargement.
- Hemochromatosis
- Excessive iron intake leads to iron accumulation and hemochromatosis.
- Protein abnormalities leading to protein accumulation in the heart muscles in a process known as amyloidosis.
