what do a person mean when he says that he has an enlarged heart.?

Answer 1

Enlarged heart is an increase in the size of the heart. It's detected by physical examination, X-ray or other imaging tests.

An enlarged heart may be caused by a thickening of the heart muscle because of increased workload. This increased workload can be due to heart valve disease or high blood pressure, for example. This is called hypertrophy which refers to enlargement of an organ or tissue due to an increase in cell size.

Left ventricular hypertrophy is the medical term for enlargement of the left ventricle. The left ventricle is the heart's main pumping chamber. Hypertrophy also occurs in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Enlarged heart may also be a dilation (expansion) of the heart due to damage that weakens the heart muscle. Examples include heart attack, congestive heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn't work as well as it should.

Click these links if you would like more info:
http://www.optimal-heart-health.com/enlargedheart.html
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Heart_disease_enlarged_heart?open
http://heart.health.ivillage.com/signssymptoms/enlargedheart2.cfm
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4517

Answer 2

Copied from the web site listed below

About enlarged heart

An enlarged heart is a sign that the heart is overworked. When underlying disease or other conditions, such as a heart defect or heavy exercise, change the heart’s pumping function, the heart works harder to make up for the increased demands. Over time, this higher work level can cause it to enlarge. Depending upon the nature of the enlargement, the heart can become stretched to its limit, like a taut rubber band. Among children and adolescents, an enlarged heart can lead to sudden cardiac death.

Medically, an enlarged heart is known as cardiomegaly or a hypertrophic heart. If just the left ventricle is enlarged, the condition is known as left ventricular hypertrophy. This can occur as a result of diseases or conditions that place extra stress on the left ventricle, which is the heart's main pumping chamber.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is another condition in which the heart is enlarged. In this condition, there is an abnormal growth of muscle fibers on the heart, causing it to enlarge. It is generally considered a genetic disorder and can cause sudden cardiac death in seemingly healthy young individuals.

Answer 3

Cardiomegaly is an enlarged heart. An enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) is a sign that the heart is overworked. Heart enlargement can be pathological (related to significant heart disease) or physiological (related to exercise or other physical activity). An enlarged heart is an indication of an underlying condition. If it is associated with heart disease, physicians will often attempt to treat the underlying disease at the same time as the enlarged heart.
An enlarged heart is often present during heart failure, when the heart cannot pump adequate blood to meet the metabolic needs of the body. Additionally, a small number of patients have an enlarged heart with no known cause. An enlarged heart may be accompanied by symptoms such as shortness of breath (dyspnea), dizziness, swelling (edema) or irregular heart beat (arrhythmia).

Cardiomegaly may be discovered on an x-ray during an examination for an unrelated condition. Physicians can confirm the diagnosis by conducting an echocardiogram (a test that uses sound waves to evaluate the heart’s anatomy and function).

Treatment for an enlarged heart can include medications (e.g., ACE inhibitors and beta blockers), and controlling underlying conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, heart valve disorders). With proper treatment, the condition may be controlled or even reversed, although the underlying disease may be difficult to control.

Answer 4

The correct medical terms for an enlarged heart are cardiomegaly and megalocardia. You might get more detailed information with a google search using those terms.

Answer 5

Heart Enlargement is called as - Cardiomegaly or Cardiomyopathy in Medical terms.

Causes and Risk Factors of Cardiomegaly and Cardiomyopathy-

Possible causes of dilated congestive cardiomyopathy include: inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) either infectious or non-infectious, excessive alcohol consumption, nutritional deficiencies, complications arising shortly before or after childbirth (postpartum), and genetic disorders. Causes of the hypertrophic and restrictive forms are usually unknown.

Symptoms of Cardiomegaly and Cardiomyopathy-

Symptoms associated with all forms of cardiomyopathy can range from minor to moderate feelings of fatigue, shortness of breath with exertion, irregular heartbeat, to frank symptoms and signs of congestive heart failure where the heart no longer functions adequately to circulate blood.

Answer 6

When athletes lift weights and work out they make thier muscles work harder than normal. This causes the muscles to get bigger. If your heart is larger than normal it means it must be working harder than it has to, and they need to determine why. It is ok to have large biceps and triceps, but not ok to have the heart working too hard.

Answer 7

The heart is actually larger than is should be. It is usually comes from prolonged high blood pressure. My mother lived many years with one and had no real problems because of it.

Answer 8

After seeing the above replies I do not think that I will be in a position to explain any more. Yours VRVRAO

Answer 9

it must mean that your heart has got bigger

Answer 10

His heart is bigger than normal...