How do you detect cardiac hypertrophy?

Symptoms

  1. Chest pain, especially during exercise.
  2. Fainting, especially during or just after exercise or exertion.
  3. Heart murmur, which a health care provider might detect while listening to the heart.
  4. Sensation of fast, fluttering or pounding heartbeats (palpitations)
  5. Shortness of breath, especially during exercise.

What are the effects of cardiac hypertrophy?

If the heart has to work too hard to pump blood, the muscles in the walls of the left ventricle thicken. This thickening is called hypertrophy. Hypertrophy means growing (trophy) too much (hyper). Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) makes it harder for the heart to pump blood efficiently.

What is cardiac hypertrophy?

Cardiac hypertrophy is the abnormal enlargement, or thickening, of the heart muscle, resulting from increases in cardiomyocyte size and changes in other heart muscle components, such as extracellular matrix.

Can ECG detect enlarged heart?

Electrocardiogram (EKG): An EKG measures the electrical activity of the heart and can detect an enlarged heart as well as determine if a heart is overworked or damaged.

Which findings are characteristic of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Common symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy include: Chest pain. This usually happens with exercise or physical activity, but also may occur with rest or after meals. Difficulty breathing (shortness of breath) and fatigue, especially with exertion.

Can ECG detect hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Test based on electrocardiograms (ECG) that record the heart electrical activity can help in early detection of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) where the heart muscle is partially thickened and blood flow is (potentially fatally) obstructed.

When does cardiac hypertrophy occur?

Or, to put it in simpler terms: it is an increase in cardiac muscle mass when cardiac muscle fibers thicken, or cells become enlarged, due to chronic and increased stress on the heart.

What causes cardiac hypertrophy?

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is most often caused by abnormal genes in the heart muscle. These genes cause the walls of the heart chamber (left ventricle) to become thicker than normal. The thickened walls may become stiff and this can reduce the amount of blood taken in and pumped out to the body with each heartbeat.

Can a blood test detect an enlarged heart?

Tests that may be done to help diagnose an enlarged heart (cardiomyopathy) and its cause include: Blood tests. Blood tests may help confirm or rule out conditions that can cause heart enlargement.

Does exercise help enlarged heart?

Exercise may reduce more than your waist size. It also may help shrink a thickened and enlarged heart. Regular exercise can be at least as beneficial as blood pressure medication when treating an enlarged heart. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St.