What does it mean by ventricular hypertrophy?

Left ventricular hypertrophy is enlargement and thickening (hypertrophy) of the walls of your heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle). The thickened heart wall loses elasticity, leading to increased pressure to allow the heart to fill its pumping chamber to send blood to the rest of the body.

Is thickening of the heart wall serious?

In cases of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the thickening of the heart wall restricts the blood flow out of the heart. Sometimes, the septum tends to stiffen and bulge into the left ventricle. This too impedes blood flow making the ventricle work harder to pump blood out into the body.

Is an enlarged left ventricle to heart life threatening?

But when it comes to the heart, bigger is not better. An enlarged or thickened heart — a condition doctors call left-ventricular (LV) hypertrophy — can lead to heart failure. It also may double the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment. “Hypertrophy is not normal.

What are the symptoms of left ventricular hypertrophy?

What are the symptoms of LVH?

  • Shortness of breath.
  • Fatigue.
  • Chest pain (especially with exercise)
  • Heart palpitations.
  • Dizziness or fainting.

What is the treatment for thickening of the heart?

Alcohol septal ablation (nonsurgical procedure): Ethanol (a type of alcohol) is injected through a tube into the small artery that supplies blood to the area of heart muscle thickened by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The alcohol causes these cells to die.

How can I reduce the thickness of my heart wall?

University researchers have found that a moderate exercise regimen is just as effective as a common blood-pressure drug in reducing the heart’s mass and the thickness of the heart wall in elderly individuals with mild to moderately elevated blood pressure.

What medications should be avoided with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Agents to reduce pre- or afterload (such as nitrate, ACE inhibitors, nifedipine-type calcium antagonists) are contraindicated with HOCM due to possible aggravation of the outflow tract obstruction.