Cardiomegaly Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Cardiomegaly is a condition when the size of the heart is larger than normal, which is 55 percent larger than the chest cavity. Cardiac enlargement is a common abnormality.
This condition can be caused by many things – from high blood pressure, and diabetes, to valve disorders. If a person has an enlarged heart accompanied by impaired heart pumping function, it can be said that he has suffered from heart failure.
Cardiomegaly is usually caused by the enlargement of one or more of the heart’s four chambers. However, generally cardiomegaly is caused by enlargement of the left heart chamber (left ventricle).
There are two types of cardiomegaly, namely:
- Dilated cardiomegaly, which is an enlargement of the heart chambers that occurs without thickening of the heart wall. This type of enlargement is caused by viral myocarditis or inflammation of the heart muscle.
- Hypertrophic cardiomegaly, namely heart enlargement accompanied by thickening of the heart wall. Cardiomegaly is caused by high blood pressure and valve disorders.
Symptom
Cardiomegaly or heart enlargement in the early stages does not cause any real complaints. If the heart is enlarged significantly so that its function is disrupted, a person will usually experience various complaints.
Complaints that are generally felt by sufferers include shortness of breath, coughing, swelling of the body and feeling tired easily. If there is a blockage in the heart’s blood vessels, a person can have complaints of chest pain.
Reason
There are various types of causes of cardiomegaly or enlarged heart, including:
- High blood pressure. The condition of high blood pressure can cause excessive pressure on the heart wall. This excessive pressure can cause enlargement of the heart chambers which will be seen as an enlarged heart.
- Diabetes. This metabolic disorder can cause problems in all organs of the human body. One of them is in the form of an enlarged heart. Heart enlargement in diabetics is known as diabetic cardiomyopathy.
- Heart valve disorders. Valve disorders cause excessive workload on the heart. This will cause thickening of the heart muscle and eventually the size of the heart will increase.
- Pulmonary disorders. Pulmonary disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), can cause increased resistance to blood flow and affect the increase in cardiac work. An increase in the workload of the heart will cause an enlarged heart.
- Viral myocarditis, which is a condition where inflammation occurs in the heart muscle due to a viral infection. For example, due to adenovirus and enterovirus.
- Other disorders such as thyroid disorders, pregnancy, and HIV infection.
Diagnosis
Determination of the diagnosis of cardiomegaly or enlarged heart is done by examining a chest photo. On chest X-ray examination, you can see the silhouette of the heart in a larger photo. Based on this, it can also be calculated cardiothoracic ratio (the ratio of heart diameter and piston diameter) which will show a number of more than 0.50.
To see the contractility (strength of heart contractions) and the dimensions of the heart chambers, an echocardiography examination can be performed. This examination can show dilatation or widening of the heart chambers, heart valve disorders and heart contractility disorders.
Treatment
Treatment of cardiomegaly or enlarged heart is to address the cause of the enlarged heart. If a person suffers from high blood pressure, administration of high blood pressure medication is necessary to achieve a safer and optimal blood pressure.
A low-salt diet is also recommended for people with enlarged hearts with high blood pressure. Treatment of diabetes is also needed immediately so that blood sugar is in the normal range.
If a person is already showing signs of heart failure such as shortness of breath and accumulation of body fluids, diuretic group drugs can be given. Some of the drugs commonly used in the treatment of enlarged hearts are diuretics, ACE- inhibitors, and beta-blockers.
Prevention
Cardiomegaly or heart enlargement can be prevented by controlling various risk factors for heart enlargement such as adopting a healthy lifestyle so that high blood pressure does not occur. Likewise, efforts to prevent diabetes or manage diabetic conditions so that blood sugar is maintained. A person with COPD also needs to be monitored regularly to prevent this enlargement of the heart chambers.