Contents:
- Medical Video: 5 Common Signs of Heart Disease
- What is the condition of a swollen heart (cardiomegaly)?
- What are the symptoms and signs of a swollen heart?
- What causes a swollen heart?
- Diseases and conditions that cause heart swelling
- 1. Coronary artery disease
- 2. High blood pressure (hypertension)
- 3. Dilated cardiomyopathy
- 5. Diseases of the heart valve
- 6. Cardiac ischemia
- 7. Disorders of the thyroid
- 8. Obesity
- 9. Older age
Medical Video: 5 Common Signs of Heart Disease
Have you ever known how great your heart is? Or have you ever realized how much your heart can pump blood to flow throughout the body? The heart is one of the most vital and important organs in the body. If the heart stops beating, then a moment later all the organs will also stop functioning.
Everyone has a different size and size, but you can measure the size of your heart by looking at your fist. About the size of the organ that always works every time to pump blood. As for the weight, it is estimated that the average human heart has a weight of 280 - 340 grams in men, and 230 - 280 grams for women. Not only that, the heart beats at least 100,000 times a day and always supplies an average of 2000 gallons of blood for the whole body. When blood is not properly supplied and there is a disruption in the heart, you can experience a swollen heart.
What is the condition of a swollen heart (cardiomegaly)?
Swollen heart or cardiomegaly is not a disease, but is a symptom and sign of a heart disease that is experienced. Sometimes, you can experience a swollen heart because you are experiencing certain conditions, such as being pregnant. But more often people who have a swollen heart are experiencing serious heart disease. A swollen heart can be caused by damage to the heart muscle. Up to a certain size, a swollen heart can still function normally. However, still a decrease in the ability of heart function will decrease.
What are the symptoms and signs of a swollen heart?
For some cases, a swollen heart does not cause any symptoms and signs. However, when these symptoms appear and appear, this may be because the heart can no longer work normally and effectively and causes congestive heart failure, here are the symptoms and signs:
- Having respiratory problems
- Breath shortens, especially when you are on the move
- Irregular heartbeat, aka arrhythmia
- There is swelling in several parts of the body. This swelling is caused by the accumulation of fluid in that part.
- The heart feels palpitations
- Feeling tired
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What causes a swollen heart?
In almost all conditions, the swollen heart is caused by blockages of blood and high blood pressure which then disrupts the heart's blood flow. In addition, there are still a number of possibilities that can cause the heart to swell, namely:
- An abnormal heart valve
- Pregnancy, swollen heart occurs when approaching the heart-day of birth and this is called cardiac cardiacopathy
- Experiencing kidney disease and disorders
- Eating alcohol and drug abuse
- HIV infection
- Genetics
READ ALSO: Is Your Heartbeat Normal? Here's how to calculate it
Diseases and conditions that cause heart swelling
Some other conditions or heart disease can also cause the heart to swell, such as:
1. Coronary artery disease
That is a condition where there is fat or plaque that clogs the coronary arteries. This disease is more commonly referred to as atherosclerosis. This condition makes the supply of oxygen reduced to the heart, so that the fuel to pump blood is not present.
2. High blood pressure (hypertension)
When people experience hypertension, the heart pumps more blood than people who have normal blood pressure. This will make the heart muscle thicken because it works harder.
3. Dilated cardiomyopathy
Is a type that usually occurs in people who experience a swollen heart. The heart wall - known as ventricles or chambers - becomes thin and stretches too much in this condition. And this is what makes the heart size bigger.
4. Myocarditis
Is a heart infection caused by a virus. Someone who suffers from this disease is initially infected with a virus, but over time this disease results in a person experiencing congestive heart failure.
5. Diseases of the heart valve
Various problems in the heart valve can result in a swollen heart, because the valves in the heart function to prevent blood flow from flowing against the flow.
READ ALSO: Causes of Bradycardia, Weak Heart Rate Fatal Causes
6. Cardiac ischemia
That is the condition in which heart cells are damaged and ultimately reduce blood flow to the heart. This can also cause chest pain.
7. Disorders of the thyroid
The thyroid gland functions to regulate various body metabolism. If this disorder is not resolved properly it can cause high blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels, and an erratic heartbeat or arrhythmia.
8. Obesity
Occurs when there is fat accumulating in the body. Obese people are prone to high blood pressure and various heart diseases.
9. Older age
As you age, the ability of the elasticity of your arteries also decreases. When this ability decreases, eating will cause stiffness and eventually lead to high blood pressure. While high blood pressure is a risk factor for heart swelling or cardiomegaly.
READ ALSO: Frequent yawning can be a sign of heart problems
