Enlarged heart. Pathological causes of heart enlargement

1. Bread, flour products.

Allowed consumption wheat bread from first and second grade flour, seeded rye, peeled flour, peeled flour, grain, doctor's bread.

Consumption of products made from butter and puff pastry is prohibited.

2. Soups.

Vegetable soups are allowed, such as cabbage soup, borscht, beetroot soup, as well as vegetarian soups with the addition of potatoes and cereals, fruit milk soups. Meat, fish and mushroom broths, soups with legumes are not allowed.

3. Meat and poultry.

You can eat different kinds meat and poultry, but exclusively low-fat varieties. They can be boiled, baked chopped or in pieces. Consumption of fatty varieties, duck, goose, liver, kidneys, brains, sausages, smoked meats, and canned food is prohibited.

4. Fish.

You can eat low-fat types of fish boiled, baked, in pieces and chopped. Seafood dishes are also allowed. Meaning scallop, seaweed, mussels. Consumption is not allowed fatty types, salty, smoked fish, canned food, caviar.

5. Dairy products.

Milk and fermented milk drinks with reduced fat content, low-fat cottage cheese or cottage cheese with 9% fat content, and dishes made from it are allowed as food. Consumption of low-fat, lightly salted cheese is allowed. Sour cream can be added to dishes.

Consumption of salty and fatty cheese, heavy cream, sour cream and cottage cheese is prohibited.

6. Eggs.

Egg white omelettes are allowed. You can eat soft-boiled eggs maximum 3 times a week. The number of egg yolks is limited.

7. Cereals.

From buckwheat, oatmeal, millet, barley and other cereals you can prepare crumbly porridges, casseroles and cereals. The amount of rice, semolina, and pasta is limited.

8. Vegetables.

Allowed consumption various dishes from cabbage of all types, carrots, beets, which should first be finely chopped. Dishes made from zucchini, pumpkin, potatoes, and eggplants are allowed. Can be used as a puree green pea. Fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and greens are allowed.
Radishes, radishes and mushrooms are prohibited.

9. Snacks.
Consumption of vinaigrettes and salads with vegetable oil, which can include seaweed, seafood salads, boiled jellied fish and meat, soaked herring, low-fat lightly salted cheese, dietary sausage, and lean ham.


Consumption of fatty, spicy and salty foods, caviar, and canned food is prohibited.

10. Fruits, sweet.

You can eat raw fruits and berries, dried fruits. The consumption of compotes, jellies, mousses, sambuca is allowed; they must be semi-sweet or with the addition of sugar substitutes. The amount of grapes, raisins, sugar, honey, jam is limited. If you are obese, these products are generally prohibited.

Chocolate, products with cream, and ice cream are prohibited.

11. Sauces, spices.

Consumption of sauces based on vegetable broth, seasoned with sour cream, milk, tomato, fruit and berry sauces is allowed. You can add vanillin, cinnamon, citric acid, in limited quantities - mayonnaise, horseradish.

Consumption of meat, fish, mushroom sauces, mustard, and pepper is prohibited.

12. Beverages.

You can drink weak tea with lemon, milk; weak natural coffee, coffee drinks, vegetable, fruit, berry juices, rosehip infusions, decoctions wheat bran.

Strong tea, strong coffee, and cocoa are prohibited.

13. Fats.

When preparing dishes, you can use butter and vegetable oil. Vegetable oils are allowed to be added to dishes. Consumption of dietary oil is recommended. All meat and cooking fats are prohibited.

An example of a therapeutic diet menu:

• For your first breakfast you can eat low-fat cottage cheese pudding, crumbly buckwheat porridge, and tea.
• For second breakfast you can only afford fresh apple.
• Lunch consists of pearl barley soup with the addition of vegetables in vegetable oil, steamed meat balls, stewed carrots, and compote.
• For an afternoon snack, you can drink rosehip decoction.
• Recommended consumption for dinner vegetable salad with seaweed, seasoned with vegetable oil, fish baked in milk sauce, boiled potatoes, tea.
• Drinking kefir before bed will be beneficial.

Consequences of the disease

In case of increased myocardial activity and its subsequent increase, it is necessary to be observed by an experienced cardiologist and undergo regular examination courses. An important part of drug therapy will be a review of your lifestyle.

In particular, you need:

• Give up bad habits - alcohol and cigarette abuse.
• Get rid of obesity and extra pounds to reduce the load on the heart muscle.
• Reduce the amount of salted, smoked, cholesterol-rich foods you consume.
• Balance the diet, enrich it with microelements and substances to normalize heart function.
• Reduce inadequate stress on the heart.

If measures are not taken to maintain the myocardium in healthy condition, this is fraught with the development of stroke, heart attack, heart failure and even death. People with alcohol addiction. Against the background of constant intoxication, the heart drinking man sometimes reaches very large sizes.

Restoration of myocardial size can only occur if complete failure from alcohol.

An enlarged heart can entail significant risks for the patient, which depend on the underlying disease that caused the enlarged heart. When the heart becomes too large, some parts of the myocardium are affected more pressure and, therefore, an increased risk of ischemia and dangerous complications such as stroke and heart attack.

However, statisticians note that one can live with pathology without serious consequences, keeping it under control with appropriate treatment. In Russia, in fact, about 9.4 million people have an enlarged heart, especially in the left ventricle.

Forecast

It depends on what exactly caused the enlargement of the heart:

• With arterial hypertension, the prognosis is favorable. If you take the medications prescribed by your doctor on time, your heart will soon return to normal and will no longer enlarge.
• In case of ventricular septal defect – relatively favorable.
If the operation is not performed on time, there is a risk of developing aortic valve insufficiency, severe violations rhythm, left ventricular dysfunction and sudden death. If the patient is operated on, the heart will no longer bother him.

• For dilated cardiomyopathy – unfavorable. Full recovery occurs only after transplantation. However, it is not always possible to find a donor for a heart transplant. In addition, there is a high risk postoperative complications.
• At hypertrophic cardiomyopathy– relatively unfavorable. With an asymptomatic course of the disease, patients die before the disease is detected. With proper therapy, the risk of death is reduced.
• Metabolic cardiomyopathy has a favorable prognosis. When metabolism is established, complete recovery occurs.
• At aortic stenosis without treatment, life expectancy ranges from 1 to 4 years from the onset of symptoms. If the operation is performed in a timely manner, the prognosis is relatively favorable.
• If left untreated mitral stenosis, 50% of patients die within 5 years from the moment the first symptoms appear. After surgery, the prognosis is relatively favorable.
• In case of Ebstein's anomaly, it is relatively favorable. The risk of sudden death is 3–4%.
• For myocarditis – favorable. Complete recovery occurs after 4–8 weeks in 90% of cases, after a year – in 10% of cases.
• For exudative pericarditis – favorable. All operated patients recover.
• In case of amyloidosis – unfavorable. The maximum life expectancy is 5 years from the date of diagnosis.

Prevention

Lifestyle changes will help not only prevent the development of the disease, but also improve the condition of an already enlarged ventricle. Since hypertrophy is common in obese people, maintaining an ideal body mass index will the best prevention diseases.

It is also worth limiting the amount of salt in your diet to normalize blood pressure. If hypertrophy is suspected, it is recommended to drink alcohol in moderation, and if treatment is prescribed, then it is better to avoid strong drinks altogether.

Despite the fact that one of the reasons for an enlarged ventricle of the heart is heavy physical activity, you should not give up sports. Regular physical exercise, such as walking, Pilates, yoga, not only will not harm, but on the contrary will strengthen the heart.

If a diagnosis of hypertrophy has already been made, it is necessary to ask a physiotherapist to select the optimal exercise program. 30 minutes of moderate physical activity will strengthen weakened heart muscle and prevent its enlargement. A healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition will allow you to forget about problems with the left ventricle for a long time.

Enlarged heart, or cardiomegaly, is an extremely specific pathology, accompanied by an expansion of all 4 cardiac chambers. Popularly, a pathological condition such as cardiomegaly is called “bull heart”. But a big heart is not always good. Due to the development of this pathological condition There is severe hypertrophy of the organ and disruption of its functions.

Often, an increase in the size of the heart muscles is observed in people who lead very active image life and devote a lot of time sports exercises, but at the same time the heart muscles also develop evenly. If a similar pathology is observed in people who are not actively involved in sports, there is an increase in the size of the ventricles, but the heart muscles themselves are quickly depleted and cannot normally compress the hypertrophied ventricles. Pathological enlargement of the heart in size can be a consequence of many.

Reasons for development

Normally, men's hearts are much larger than women's. It is now known that the normal heart volume in men is approximately 760 cm³, while in women around 580 cm³ is considered good. It is believed that such a difference in heart size among representatives of different sexes is due to different volumes of the chest. As a rule, an enlarged heart is observed in adults, while in children similar pathological changes structures of organ tissues are extremely rare. The most common causes of cardiomegaly in adults include:

• pregnancy;
• difficult childbirth;
• idiopathic cardiomyopathy;
• stenosis;
• renal failure;
• cardiac ischemia;
• effusion in the pericardial sac;
• inflammation of the heart muscle;
• rheumatic heart disease;
• systemic lupus erythematosus;
• aortoarteritis;
• scleroderma;
• severe stress;
• severe anemia;
• high blood pressure;
• arterial hypertension;
• alcohol and drug addiction;
• Chagas disease.

Normally, the work of the entire heart is ensured by strong elastic muscles, but with the development of a pathological condition such as cardiomegaly, there is a rapid increase in the volume of organs and a decrease in the amount of muscle tissue. When the heart increases in size, it is observed gradual decline release of blood and slowdown of its circulation throughout the human body.

As all the walls of the heart hypertrophy, it loses its ability to provide normal blood flow to all tissues of the body, which provokes the development of congestive processes. Developing compensatory phenomena, although at first they can provide the body with the necessary level of blood supply, subsequently no longer allow the heart to fully pump blood, and the development of heart failure and premature death of a person is observed.

Symptoms

For a long time, ongoing changes in the tissues of the heart may remain unnoticed by patients, especially if there are other diseases that occur with severe symptoms. In addition, it should be taken into account that any specific symptoms There is simply no such thing as heart enlargement. The thing is that many of the signs present in a condition such as cardiomegaly are characteristic of primary diseases that provoke tissue hypertrophy. In completely healthy people, the following symptoms may indicate the development of cardiomegaly:

• heaviness in the right hypochondrium;
• dry cough;
• swelling of the legs and whole body;
• increased fatigue;
• chest pain.

At first, such manifestations may be quite weakly expressed. However, as tissue hypertrophy symptomatic manifestations begin to increase as the heart gradually loses its ability to perform its function. The consequences of expansion of the walls of the heart and enlargement of the ventricles can be the most unfavorable.

Diagnosis and treatment of cardiomegaly

Modern diagnostic methods do not allow detecting an increase in heart volume in the early stages, since the symptomatic manifestations of this dangerous condition may also be a consequence of other diseases of the cardiovascular system, which often confuses even qualified cardiologists. To confirm the diagnosis, the following activities are carried out:

• radiography;
• palpation;
• listening;
• echocardiogram;
• catheterization;
• blood chemistry;
• biopsy.

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In rare cases, when an increase in heart volume is detected in the early stages, this process can be stopped using medicinal methods. When the disease has already entered into full force, the main treatment should be aimed at the root causes of this pathological condition. Depending on the nature of the root cause of the problem, treatment can be carried out using both medical and surgical methods.

As a rule, medications are prescribed that help stabilize the heart in case of one or another primary disease.

Among other things, the patient must observe a special regime of wakefulness and activity, as well as a special gentle diet. It is very important to eat small portions and avoid overeating. Surgical treatment involves ventricular myotomy. Such surgical intervention cannot be performed on all patients, as it is associated with great risk fatal outcome on the operating table. In severe cases, when other treatments do not have the necessary effect, a heart transplant is required.

An enlarged heart can be diagnosed in both an adult and a child. However, we should not forget that such pathology in children differs in its causes, symptoms and treatment.

If during planned preventive examination chest, it is determined that the heart is enlarged on fluorography, then there is no need to panic in advance. It is recommended to go for a consultation with a cardiologist and understand the reasons that led to the changes.

The cause of an enlarged heart in an adult is often the heart, sometimes the right heart, or both at once. In some cases, expansion of both atria is also noted. In this case, the organ is so deformed that it cannot function normally.

Expansion of the boundaries of the heart is called cardiomegaly. Enlargement of the heart chambers is often caused by the accumulation of metabolic products in the heart muscle, which means that true cardiomegaly develops.

Sometimes this phenomenon is detected during excessive physical activity, in pregnant women, and in athletes. In this case, the expansion of the heart is not considered dangerous. More often, during exercise, the lower chambers enlarge, especially the left ventricle, since it is from here that blood is released into the systemic circulation.

The exact etiology of the problem is established after diagnosis.

Important! The pathology detected in a newborn is very dangerous, since about 35% of children with it die in the first three months of life, and 20% develop chronic left ventricular failure.

Why does the heart enlarge? A number of reasons have been identified that lead to pathology:

• Pregnancy period.
• Diabetes mellitus together with high blood pressure.
• Long-term antibiotic therapy.
• Heart defects.
• Inflammatory processes in the heart area.
• Rheumatism, especially with stagnation of blood.
• Alcohol – it adversely affects the heart muscle and the entire body. If you abuse alcohol for more than 10 years, there is a risk of developing.
• High blood pressure is more common in older people, and the heart expands to the left as the left ventricle enlarges.
• Cardiomyopathy - formation occurs due to infection in the heart muscle or alcohol abuse, and the increase is small.
• Anemia.
• Kidney failure.
• Pulmonary hypertension – increase right half hearts.
• Playing sports - athletes often experience an enlargement of the heart muscle, this is considered normal. Dangerous violations appear when the heart muscle becomes very large and training is irregular.
• Myocardial infarction – most often the entire myocardium enlarges, and an aneurysm often forms.

An enlarged heart is not so often observed in the following reasons:

• Muscle dystrophy.
• Loose closure of the tricuspid valve leaflets during ventricular contraction, with an increase in the diameter of the heart muscle on the right.
• Diseases of the endocrine glands.
• – thickening of the walls of the left ventricle and dystrophy of the heart muscle often leads to stagnation of blood, and then to expansion of the heart to the left.
• Infiltrative-restrictive cardiomyopathy is characterized by the presence of inextensible ventricular walls that resist filling with blood.
• Cancerous tumor or metastases going to the heart.
• Bacterial infections in the heart.

Symptoms

Enlargement of the heart muscle appears in relation to individual individual chambers, less often it is observed in all chambers. Pathology usually develops due to additional stress on the organ, which has to do more work than usual. That is, muscle mass is gained with increased blood pumping. This is especially noticeable when inflammatory diseases lungs, which lead to oxygen starvation.

It is worth remembering that there are no characteristic signs of pathology; it is manifested by symptoms of the diseases that led to its development. The following is most often observed:

• Severe shortness of breath even with little physical exertion.
• Swelling lower limbs and other parts of the body.
• Feeling of heaviness on the right side under the ribs.
• Pain in the head, which is accompanied by tinnitus.
• High blood pressure.
• Dry, causeless cough that gets worse when lying down.
• Pain in the retrosternal region on the left.
• Fast fatiguability.
• Dizziness to the point of loss of consciousness (the rarest symptom).

Attention! Often there are cases of asymptomatic progression, then the pathology is discovered by chance during a routine examination.

Enlarged heart in children

An enlarged heart in a child most often occurs due to congenital defects. In medicine, more than 90 defects have been identified, which are characterized by narrowing and insufficiency of the valves, deformations of the heart itself or the vessels feeding it. All of them lead to circulatory disorders.

Certain congenital defects cause the death of a child, so it is important to diagnose them as soon as possible (from the first days of life to six months) in order to cardiac surgery treatment. This is done by cardiologists and cardiac surgeons.

In a child, an enlargement of the heart muscle can be caused by diseases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, rheumatism and myocarditis of various origins. Endocarditis and pericarditis in childhood occur much less frequently. In such situations, the increase is not observed immediately after birth, but develops gradually.

Diagnostics

IN modern medicine a large number have been developed diagnostic methods detection of heart diseases. Making a diagnosis begins with collecting an anamnesis, which is based on the patient’s complaints and examination. The doctor clarifies the presence of chronic diseases, bad habits of the patient, and previous surgical interventions. Next are appointed following methods research:

1. Chest X-ray - the image clearly shows the shadow of the expansion of the heart, and blood stagnation is detected.
2. Electrocardiography (ECG).
3. Echocardiography (EchoCG) determines the physical parameters of the heart muscle, including the size of the chambers, the presence of necrosis and ischemia of the heart.
4. Ultrasound of the heart muscle.
5. Computed tomography (CT).
6. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
7. Immunological and biochemical blood test, which determines the level of hemoglobin, bilirubin, urea, protein and hormones.

Important! The effectiveness of treatment directly depends on the correct diagnosis and cause of the disease. Therefore before. Before treating pathology, the doctor carefully studies the results of tests and instrumental studies.

Treatment

Treatment directly depends on the causes of the disease. All activities are primarily aimed at organizing a healthy lifestyle for the patient and eliminating the cause of the disease. The patient is recommended a special diet that excludes fatty, salty and spicy dishes, rejection of bad habits. The doctor prescribes special exercises.

May be discharged the following drugs:

• Medicines from the group of diuretics that remove excess liquid from the body, thereby easing the load on the heart.
• Anticoagulants are medications that block the formation of blood clots and eliminate the risk of ischemia or alleviate its symptoms.
• Means for normalizing cardiac activity.

Surgical intervention is prescribed only in in case of emergency when the patient's life is at risk. The most dangerous and advanced form is considered to be “bull heart”, in this case only a transplant can help.

If disturbances occur against the background of valve pathology, then prosthetics are performed. At severe violations heart rate, a pacemaker is installed under the skin, which normalizes it.

Important! For prevention and additional therapy, traditional medicine is used.

The heart is the most vulnerable human organ; its performance is affected by many internal and external factors. An enlarged heart indicates that there are certain problems in the body. Therefore, if unpleasant symptoms appear, it is recommended to immediately seek advice from a cardiologist who will prescribe the necessary treatment, otherwise the consequences can be disastrous.

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Heart - main body person. Cardiomegaly, or its increased size, is a dangerous manifestation that affects not only the cardiovascular system, but also some other organs. Symptoms of the disease can be varied. Sometimes there are signs of muscle pathology, and the stomach may even hurt for a long time. A person does not immediately realize possible problems with health. What are the causes of enlargement of the right ventricle of the heart? Our article is devoted to this topic.

Let's try to understand the causes, clinical picture and consequences of the disease, consider how diagnosis is carried out and therapy is carried out.

What is heart enlargement? This is a special disease that affects both adults and children. Before finding out the causes and symptoms of the disease, it is worth considering its essence in detail. A large heart is a disease that has a corresponding name in medicine. Enlargement of this organ is called cardiomegaly.

The occurrence of the disease is closely related to the expansion and enlargement of the ventricles. In addition, an enhanced neoplastic process occurs in them, and metabolic products accumulate in the heart. This leads to the development of cardiomegaly. A person is unaware of his own condition for a long time, so he continues to live as before. However, this is extremely dangerous if nothing is done and no measures are taken, as undesirable consequences arise that threaten the lives of both the child and the adult.

Often the large left or right ventricle enlarges in a completely healthy person. The cause may be pregnancy in women. This is due to the resources that the body spends on the development of the fetus in the womb. Cardiomegaly is a common companion for athletes. Instrumental diagnostics and x-rays will help determine the exact causes of an enlarged heart.

The size of the human heart fluctuates within certain limits. As practice shows, men have more of this organ than women. Representatives of the stronger sex under the age of thirty have a volume of 760 cm³, and women – 580 cm³. Size is usually proportional to a person’s weight, with the structure of the chest being of particular importance. The causes of an enlarged heart in an adult are not always supported by disease. In some cases, higher volume is normal. Thus, there are no strict sizes; they are individual for each organism. This also depends on the type of person’s activity.

Etiology of cardiomegaly in children and adults

A doctor will help determine the reasons for the enlargement of the right ventricle of the heart, as well as the left. It is he who prescribes the appropriate diagnosis and subsequent treatment of the disease.

Etiology of the disease in adults:

• pregnancy, childbirth in women;
• ischemic disease;
• hypertension;
• viral infections affecting the heart;
• kidney pathologies, including kidney failure;
• congenital organ development anomaly;
• drug addiction;
• smoking and alcohol abuse;
• inflammation of the heart muscle;

• sport;
• Chagas disease;
• severe anemia;
• psycho-emotional stress, stress;
• complications after flu, sore throat.

The paradox of hypertrophy is that all of the above factors can enlarge an organ. It must be taken into account that a large heart contains a minimum of muscles that guarantee the smooth functioning of this entire system.

If an enlarged heart is detected in a child, it is important to begin treatment correctly, because the diagnosis is extremely dangerous. Even a newborn baby may be at risk, so you should be extremely careful.

Causes of childhood cardiomegaly:

• Congenital heart defect;
• myocarditis;
• organ surgery;
• cardiomyopathy;
• oncology;
• amyloidosis, lupus;
• collagenosis, hyperthyroidism;
• sarcoidosis, toxoplasmosis;
• acquired defect caused by a bacterial form of endocarditis;
• use of certain medications.

In any case, the consequences of an enlarged heart can be very sad, so it is important to undergo a timely diagnosis and then begin therapy.

How is diagnosis carried out?

A certain reason pushes you to see a doctor. clinical picture, which haunts a person.

Symptoms:

• increased atypical fatigue;
• soreness behind the sternum;
• fainting, dizziness;
• shortness of breath, even if light exertion predominates;
• swelling;
• cough.

Expanding dimensions to the right and left is fraught with dire consequences for the entire system. When the rhythm is disrupted, there is a risk of heart failure. When noise occurs, monitoring by the attending physician is important, because this indicates that the structure of the valves is changing. If the left and right ventricles of the heart are enlarged, the quality and productivity of the entire system decreases. This picture leads to the fact that certain moment the organ will not be able to pump the required volumes of blood, which provokes failure. By ignoring the problem, you can get a “bull’s heart”.

According to medical practice, install accurate diagnosis quite problematic. The patient complains of feeling unwell, but the clinic signals other pathologies.

Diagnostic methods:

• radiography;
• auscultation, palpation;
• blood analysis;
• caterization.

If the x-ray shows an enlarged heart, the doctor will be able to get his bearings and prescribe therapy in a timely manner. You can't hesitate for a minute.

The interesting thing is that X-ray most often shows transformation of the left ventricle.

Consequences of cardiomegaly and prognosis

A large heart is fraught with significant complications and risks for a person. A pronounced pathology is manifested by the fact that the patient suffers from a lack of oxygen in the tissues, and all internal organs suffer from this. The disease can cause stroke, heart attack, and pulmonary embolism. This is due to the fact that when the heart enlarges, parts of the myocardium experience powerful pressure. This causes serious complications in the form of severe heart disease.

Statistics regarding the prognosis of recovery show that it is possible to live even with such an illness without consequences. To do this, you should receive timely treatment and keep the pathology under strict control. For example, in the territory Russian Federation There are 9.5 million people diagnosed with an enlarged heart.

Specifics of therapy

Taking into account the degree of the disease, the doctor selects medications that help improve the functioning of the heart muscle.

List of drugs:

• anticoagulants - “Heparin”, “Angioks”;
• diuretics - Trifas, Lizax, Furosemide;
• beta blockers – “Anaprilin”, “Digoxin”;
• angiotensin blockers - Eprosartan, Losartan.

The traditional method of treatment should not be excluded. Freshly prepared juices help well: carrot, cranberry, onion, birch. Beekeeping products work well: propolis, honey.

When conservative treatment does not have an effect, the cardiologist is forced to suggest surgical intervention:

• organ transplant;
• valve replacement;
• cardioverter defibrillator.

Will help you achieve good results combination therapy, constant monitoring by a doctor, proper nutrition. Thus, an enlarged heart is dangerous disease, affecting the functioning of the entire organism. Optimal physical activity, diet, and healthy image life will help prevent the development of pathology.

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