what is wrong when one side of the heart is lager than the other?

Answer 1

First of all, cardiomyopathy does NOT refer to enlargement of the heart, as the lengthy answer above mentioned. Cardiomyopathy refers to intrinsic dysfunction of the myocardium, and there are examples of cardiomyopathies involving normal-sized hearts, such as restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM).

Asymmetrical myocardial hypertrophy is caused by one side of the heart working disproportionately harder than the other side. If the left side is much larger than the right, it is probably due to hypertension (most common cause by far), or some obstruction to outward flow, such as a stenotic aortic valve. If the right side is much larger than the left, it is likely due to what is called pulmonary hypertension, which is basically when the lungs resist against accepting blood flow, and can happen for a various number of reasons.

But either way, asymmetrical enlargement is primarily an effect of an increased resistance to that side's output.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Hypertrophy is a condition where cells are enlarged, and occurs in the heart when one side of the heart has to work harder to pump blood either to the lungs or rest of the body for any number of reasons.

Answer 4

If the right side's smaller than the left, maybe nothing. Once again, the devil's in the details.

Answer 5

Sorry, this is long, but you didn't mention more than an enlarged heart and the info below covers all types of cardiac enlargement.

Cardiac enlargement (or cardiomyopathy) refers to an increase in the size of the heart. There are two types of cardiac enlargement: hypertrophy and dilation. (Though usually occurring separately, they may occur at the same time.) Hypertrophy involves an increase in the thickness of the heart muscle. Dilation involves an increase in the size of the inside cavity of a chamber of the heart. Hypertrophy usually occurs in only one chamber while dilation may occur in one, two, three, or all of the chambers, based on its cause. In most cases, cardiac enlargement is abnormal and accompanied by additional cardiovascular problems. The one exception is regular aerobic exercise, which produces a beneficial enlargement involving both hypertrophy and dilation of the heart.

Hypertrophy, or thickening, of the heart muscle occurs in response to increased stress on the heart. It typically involves one of the bottom chambers of the heart, which are known as the ventricles. The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs and the left ventricle pumps blood to the body. The most common causes of hypertrophy are related to increased blood pressure in either the lungs or the body. The extra work of pumping blood against the increased pressure causes the ventricle to thicken over time, the same way a body muscle increases in mass in response to weightlifting.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the most frequent cause of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Stenosis of the aortic valve – a condition in which, for a variety of reasons, this heart valve cannot open fully – is another common cause of LVH. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (a disease previously known as idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis or IHSS), and the ongoing use of cocaine round out the list of most common causes of LVH. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disease related to weakness of the individual muscle fibers of the heart. These fibers need to work harder to pump blood and become thickened over time. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy occurs in 1 in 500 people and is the most common cardiac cause of sudden death in young athletes.

The most common causes of right ventricle hypertrophy (RVH) are diseases that damage the lung like emphysema and cystic fibrosis. These diseases destroy blood vessels in the lung, causing increased pressure in the remaining vessels. Conditions that decrease oxygen levels, such as chronic bronchitis and sleep apnea, also lead to RVH. Stenosis of the pulmonic heart valve, repeated blood clots to the lungs (chronic pulmonary embolism), and primary pulmonary hypertension are a few of the remaining causes of RVH.

The most common causes of dilation are conditions that directly damage the heart muscle. The heart’s healing response is a thinning and stretching-out of the muscle. Types of damage include prior heart attack, long-term alcohol abuse, and heart muscle inflammation. Heart muscle inflammation, or myocarditis, is sometimes of unknown cause and is often associated with a viral infection or interaction between the immune system and the heart muscle. This immune reaction can be seen with inflammatory diseases like lupus or toward the end of pregnancy (approximately 1 in 4000 chance). Other sources of damage to the heart muscle, which can lead to dilatation, include:

Some types of cancer chemotherapy
Excess iron accumulation in the body from the disease hemochromatosis
Cocaine use
Several of the anti-viral medications used to treat HIV
Some of the older medications to treat schizophrenia
Exposure to metals like cobalt, lead, and mercury (an important consideration for those who work in manufacturing processes that includes exposure to these metals)

Cardiac dilation may also be associated with thyroid disease. There is a genetic form of dilated cardiomyopathy, related to many of the several forms of muscular dystrophy; in these, the disease process which affects and weakens body muscle does the same to the heart muscle. Finally, problems with the heart valves can cause abnormal cardiac dilation. In situations where the heart valves cannot fully close, a condition called valvular regurgitation, a backflow of blood with each heartbeat stretches out a chamber of the heart (typically the left atrium or left ventricle), causing it to dilate over time.

I hope this helps. Be well.

Rick the Pharmacist