Subscribe to our Heart-Healthy Living e-newsletter to stay up to date on heart-health topics.
Left ventricular hypertrophy is enlargement and thickening (hypertrophy) of the walls of your heart's main pumping chamber (left ventricle).
Left ventricular hypertrophy can develop in response to some factor — such as high blood pressure or a heart condition — that causes the left ventricle to work harder. As the workload increases, the muscle tissue in the chamber wall thickens, and sometimes the size of the chamber itself also increases. The enlarged heart muscle loses elasticity and eventually may fail to pump with as much force as needed.
Left ventricular hypertrophy is more common in people who have uncontrolled high blood pressure. But no matter what your blood pressure is, developing left ventricular hypertrophy puts you at higher risk for a heart attack and stroke.
Treating high blood pressure can help ease your symptoms and may reverse left ventricular hypertrophy.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Subscribe to our Heart-Healthy Living e-newsletter to stay up to date on heart-health topics.
Left ventricular hypertrophy usually develops gradually. You may experience no signs or symptoms, especially during the early stages of the condition.
As left ventricular hypertrophy progresses, you may experience:
Seek emergency care if:
If you experience mild shortness of breath or other symptoms, such as palpitations, see your doctor.
If you have high blood pressure or another condition that increases your risk of left ventricular hypertrophy, your doctor is likely to recommend regular appointments to monitor your heart. Even if you feel well, you need to have your blood pressure checked annually, or more often if you:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Subscribe to our Heart-Healthy Living e-newsletter to stay up to date on heart-health topics.
Left ventricular hypertrophy can occur when some factor makes your heart work harder than normal to pump blood to your body.
Factors that can cause your heart to work harder include:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Subscribe to our Heart-Healthy Living e-newsletter to stay up to date on heart-health topics.
Your doctor will start with a health history, family history and thorough physical examination including checking your blood pressure and heart function.
Your doctor might then recommend screening tests:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Subscribe to our Heart-Healthy Living e-newsletter to stay up to date on heart-health topics.
Left ventricular hypertrophy changes the structure and working of the heart. The enlarged left ventricle can:
As a result of these changes, complications of left ventricular hypertrophy include:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Subscribe to our Heart-Healthy Living e-newsletter to stay up to date on heart-health topics.
The best way to prevent left ventricular hypertrophy is to maintain healthy blood pressure. To better manage your blood pressure:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Subscribe to our Heart-Healthy Living e-newsletter to stay up to date on heart-health topics.
Lifestyle changes can help lower your blood pressure and improve left ventricular hypertrophy signs. Consider:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Subscribe to our Heart-Healthy Living e-newsletter to stay up to date on heart-health topics.
In addition to hypertension and aortic valve stenosis, factors that increase your risk for left ventricular hypertrophy include:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
We respect your privacy and aim for the best website experience in compliance with local laws. Allowing cookies enables a tailored experience, while disabling them may reduce personalization. For more information, please read our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.