Left ventricular hypertrophy

DEFINITION

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.

CAUSES

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:

• High blood pressure (hypertension). This is the most common cause of left ventricular hypertrophy. More than one-third of people show evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy at the time of their diagnosis with hypertension.
• Aortic valve stenosis. This disease is a narrowing of the tissue flap (aortic valve) that separates the left ventricle from the large blood vessel leaving your heart (aorta). The narrowing of the aortic valve requires the left ventricle to work harder to pump blood into the aorta.
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This genetic disease occurs when the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood.
• Athletic training. Intense, prolonged endurance and strength training can cause the heart to adapt to handle the extra workload. It’s unclear whether this athletic type of left ventricle hypertrophy can lead to stiffening of the heart muscle and disease.

SYMPTOMS

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:

• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Chest pain, often after exercising
• Sensation of rapid, fluttering or pounding heartbeats (palpitations)
• Dizziness or fainting

When to see a doctor

Seek emergency care if:

• You feel chest pain that lasts more than a few minutes
• You have severe difficulty breathing
• You have severe, recurring lightheadedness or lose consciousness

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:

• Smoke
• Are overweight
• Have other conditions that increase the risk of high blood pressure