Cardiomegaly is defined by MayoClinic as an enlarged heart. It is not a disease, but rather a symptom of another condition. The term "cardiomegaly" most commonly refers to an enlarged heart seen on chest X-ray before other tests are performed to diagnose the specific condition causing cardiomegaly. A person may develop an enlarged heart temporarily because of a stress on the 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.
While having an enlarged heart may not always be preventable, it's usually treatable. Treatment for enlarged heart is aimed at correcting the underlying cause and can include medications, medical procedures or surgery.
Various causes of cardiomegaly are usually the result of high blood pressure (hypertension) or coronary artery disease. This occurs when the heart does not pump blood effectively resulting in coronary heart failure.
There are three main types of disease that cause cardiomegaly. The main type is dilated cardiomyopathy. This is when the walls of both the right and left ventricles become thin and stretched. Hypertrophy cardiomyopathy is when the hearts left ventricle becomes abnormally thick as a result of high blood pressure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a result of an inherited condition. here are many causes of cardiomegaly but the most common cause is the blockage of blood supply to the heart. This often results due to coronary artery disease and high blood pressure. Other causes of an enlarged heart are viral infection, abnormal heart valve, peripartum cardiomyopathy, kidney disease, HIV infection, severe anemia, thyroid disorders, previous myocardial infarction, ...
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Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, also known as HCM, is a type of heart disease that affects the Cardiac Muscles and Cardiac Muscle cells. This disease occurs if the Cardiac Muscle cells enlarge, which causes the wall of the heart’s ventricles (most often the left ventricle) to thicken. It can also cause stiffness in the ventricles, as well as mitral valve and cellular changes.
Cardiomyopathy, by definition, means the weakening of the heart muscle. The heart is operated by a striated muscle that relies on the autonomic nervous system to function. Cardiomyopathy is diagnosed in four different ways based on what caused the illness and exactly what part of the heart is weakened. The four main types of cardiomyopathy are dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. One other category of cardiomyopathy that is diagnosed is “unclassified cardiomyopathy.” Unclassified cardiomyopathy is the weakening of the heart that does not fit into the main four categories.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disease of the heart, making the cardiac muscle is thick and strong. The thick muscle causes a decrease in cavity size, forcing the heart to pump less blood. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is one of the primary causes of sudden death as the prevention of blood flow causes cardiac arrest. More successful research is being conducted on HCM, including research on the genetics associated and the heredity of the genes. Unfortunately this disorder effects many young athletes due to their increased stresses of training on their heart. However, despite the use of new technology such as the electrocardiogram and transthoracic echocardiogram, the strategies are limited, restricting new answers.
Systolic and Diastolic are the two types of heart failure. Systolic dysfunction occurs when the heart muscle doesn't contract with enough force, which means there is less oxygen-rich blood that is pumped throughout the body. Diastolic dysfunction is when the heart contracts normally, but the ventricle does not relax properly, reducing the amount of blood that can enter the heart and raising the blood pressure in the lungs. Heart failure is a progressive condition and can worsen over time. There are four stages of heart failure that have been classified by the AHA and ACC.
What is Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease)?. (n.d.). What is Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease)?. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Caregiver/Resources/WhatisCardiovascularDisease/What-is-Cardiovascular-Disease_UCM_301852_Article.jsp
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an inherited disease that affects the cardiac muscle of the heart, causing the walls of the heart to thicken and become stiff. [1] On a cellular level, the sarcomere increase in size. As a result, the cardiac muscles become abnormally thick, making it difficult for the cells to contract and the heart to pump. A genetic mutation causes the myocytes to form chaotic intersecting bundles. A pathognomonic abnormality called myocardial fiber disarray. [2,12] How the hypertrophy is distributed throughout the heart is varied. Though, in most cases, the left ventricle is always affected. [3] The heart muscle can thicken in four different patterns. The most common being asymmetrical septal hypertrophy without obstruction. Here the intraventricular septum becomes thick, but the mitral valve is not affected. Asymmetrical septal hypertrophy with obstruction causes the mitral valve to touch the septal wall during contraction. (Left ventricle outflow tract obstruction.) The obstruction of the mitral valve allows for blood to slowly flow from the left ventricle back into the left atrium (Mitral regurgitation). Symmetrical hypertrophy is the thickening of the entire left ven...
One of the leading causes of death in the United States is heart disease. “Approximately every 29 seconds one American will have a heart attack, and once a minute one American will die from a heart attack” (Ford-Martin and Odle, 915). According to the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine men over the age of 45 and women over the age of 55 are considered at risk for heart disease. Heart disease is a major cause of death. It is beneficial to individuals who seek to prevent heart disease to recognize the risks leading to heart attacks as they are one of the primary indications of developing heart disease; especially those that fall into the at risk age groups. These risks consist of some that cannot be changed such as heredity risks, or those that can change such as smoking habits. It is very important to know these specific risks for prevention and to understand the symptoms of heart attacks, such as sweating or the feeling of weakness so if these or other symptoms occur people are aware. Finally heart disease treatment is of vital importance if you experience a heart attack so you can learn how to prevent another one from occurring.
Just as breast cancer is killing our African American women, heart disease is also one of the major diseases killing our women. Heart disease is one of the nation’s leading causes of death in both woman and men. About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States (Americas heart disease burden, 2013). Some facts about heart disease are every year about 935,000 Americans have a heart attack. Of these, 610,000 are a first heart attack victim. 325,000 happen in people who have already had a heart attack. Also coronary heart disease alone costs the United States $108.9 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and loss of productivity. Deaths of heart disease in the United States back in 2008 killed about 24.5% of African Americans.
(Slide 2) What is Cardiomyopathy? If we break down the word we can see “Cardio” which means of the heart, “myo” which means muscle, and “pathy” which means disease, therefore cardiomyopathies are diseases of the heart muscle. (Slide 3) There are 3 main types of cardiomyopathies; hypertrophic, dilated, and restrictive. I will only be discussing dilated cardiomyopathy, which is characterized by the enlargement of the hearts chambers with impaired systolic function. It is estimated that as many as 1 of 500 adults may have this condition. Dilated cardiomyopathy is more common in blacks than in whites and in males than in females. It is the most common form of cardiomyopathy in children and it can occur at any age (CDC).
Ally most likely has used ACE inhibitors and Beta blockers in the past and will be using them again.. The ACE inhibitors are vasodilators with the capability to widen the blood vessels allowing the blood pressure to lower down while improving the blood flow and decreasing the workload of the heart (WEbMD, 2017). Lisinopril is anangiotensin converting enzyme. This drug is used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, helps to preent kidney failure --due to high blood pressure and diabetes. It is also used to prevent further damage and scarring of the muscles (Medicine Net, 2017). Another Ace inhibitor is Benazepril. It is used with hydrochlothiazide, at times, to treat high blood pressure. It can also be used to treat heart failure. Beta blockers are medications that lower your blood pressure.Beta blockerd work by blocking the effects of the hormone epinephrine. Two types of Beta blockers are Metoprolol relaxes blood vessels and slows down the heart rate and Nebivolol, which response to nerve impulses in certain parts of the body,like the heart (Mayo Clinic Staff). This helps to lower heart beats and decrease the blood pressure (Mayo Clinic Staff,
Heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect your heart. Diseases under the heart disease umbrella include blood vessel diseases, heart rhythm problems, and heart defects. The major cause of this is a build-up of fatty plaques in the arteries. Plaque build-up thickens and stiffens the vessel walls, which can inhibit blood flow through the arteries to organs and tissues.
The Web. The Web. 22 Jan. 2014. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/basics/definition/con-20019580>. High cholesterol levels in the body.
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