The heart consists of four chambers, the left and right atria and left and right ventricles. The lower chambers, the ventricles, pump blood to different parts of the body, with the left side sending oxygenated blood from the lungs out to the rest of the body. The left ventricle is the stronger of the two ventricles and the most susceptible to damage from high blood pressure or other diseases that cause the ventricle to enlarge, or dilate.
Definition
Different types of damage can cause enlargement of the left ventricle, known as left ventricle hypertrophy, or LVH. Enlargement of the ventricle results from an increase in the muscle mass in the ventricle, which enlarges when the heart has to pump harder than normal to get blood to all parts of the body. Thinning and weakening of the heart muscle, known as cardiomyopathy, can also cause dilation and enlargement of the ventricle.
Causes
LVH has many causes. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, the most common cause of LVH, forces the left ventricle to pump harder to get blood through the arteries. Narrowing of the valve between the ventricle and aorta, the large artery that blood passes through to reach the rest of the body, also causes LVH. Cardiomyopathy, weakened or damaged cardiac muscle, can result from infection, alcoholism, genetic defects, kidney failure, pregnancy, chemotherapy medications or systemic lupus. Stiffness of the muscles in the ventricle, more commonly seen in older, overweight, diabetic women with hypertension, keeps the ventricles from filling up with enough blood, the University of Maryland Medical Center says.
Symptoms
The symptoms of LVH include shortness of breath, chest pain, rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), palpitations, abnormal rhythms, feelings that the heart is "fluttering," dizziness, fainting or fatigue with physical activity, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Treatment
Treatment of LVH depends on the cause. LVH caused by hypertension responds to lowering the blood pressure through use of antihypertensive medications and diuretics, which decrease blood volume and reduce the heart's workload. Aortic valve replacement prevents LVH from aortic stenosis. Anti-clotting medications may be given in cases of cardiomyopathy to prevent emboli, clots that lodge in vital organs and shut off blood supply. In severe cases of cardiomyopathy, a heart transplant may be the only cure, the American Heart Association advises.
Complications
As LVH worsens, blood backs up into the lungs because the left ventricle can't pump enough blood out to empty the ventricle. The increased muscle mass may also compress the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart, known as the coronary arteries, endangering the heart's blood supply and possibly leading to heart attack or cardiac arrest and sudden death, the Mayo Clinic warns. Blood clots that form if the ventricle is enlarged due to cardiomyopathy may break off and lodge in the lungs, brain, kidneys or heart.
