Enlarged Heart: Causes and Symptoms You Should Know

Having a big heart is an admirable trait, as it’s about being generous and altruistic. However, when you have an enlarged heart, (cardiomegaly), it is a different thing entirely. Being diagnosed with an enlarged heart could be a sign of an underlying health condition causing damage to the heart muscles. This can cause the heart to pump blood less effectively.

The worst thing about cardiomegaly is that it can impair blood circulation throughout the body. As a result, the organs, muscles, and tissue do not get enough oxygen, which can trigger other medical conditions. Here, you’ll learn all you need to know about the causes and symptoms of an enlarged heart and how to improve the health of your cardiovascular system.

Causes of Enlarged Heart

Enlarged heart or cardiomegaly can be caused by the following:

• Infection of the heart: Are you aware that bacteria or dirt can accumulate inside the heart and cause life-threatening infections? This condition is called infective endocarditis and can cause severe complications, including heart failure, kidney damage, paralysis, etc. Individuals at risk of developing these infections include drug users, people with heart problems, or underlying health conditions like HIV.
• High blood pressure: High blood pressure is a common cause of an enlarged heart. This is because persistently high blood pressure forces the heart to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. Over time, this increased workload can lead to the enlargement of the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber, in an attempt to adapt to the elevated pressure.
• Coronary artery disease (CAD): CAD occurs when the blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients become narrowed or blocked. Reduced blood flow to the heart can result in damage and enlargement of the affected part of the heart.
• Anemia: This condition occurs when there are decreased levels of red blood cells, which affects oxygen supply to other tissues and organs in your body. Chronic anemia, if left untreated, can cause the heart to beat faster and become larger.
• Pregnancy: Apart from taking a toll on the body, pregnancy can make the heart and blood vessels work harder to pump blood, thus making the heart larger than normal. This can get worse if the woman has heart problems before pregnancy. Therefore, pregnant women with heart conditions need to limit their activities and reduce their stress levels to the minimum.
• Kidney problems: Your kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin, which is sort of like an instructor. It tells your bone marrow to make more red blood cells to supply the entire body. However, when you have a kidney problem, it affects the functions of the kidney. This implies that fewer red blood cells are produced, and the heart becomes larger in an attempt to pump more blood to circulate the entire body.

What Are the Symptoms of an Enlarged Heart?

The symptoms of an enlarged heart include:

• Fatigue and shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Swelling of the leg (also called edema)
• Weight gain around the abdomen
• Chest pain
• Irregular heartbeat

How to Improve Your Heart Health

Managing an enlarged heart stems from addressing the underlying cause and managing symptoms. However, to improve your heart health, the following tips are recommended:

• Lifestyle modifications: These changes involve eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, managing weight, quitting smoking, reducing stress levels, and curbing alcohol intake.
• Address underlying health condition: An enlarged heart is usually a symptom of an underlying medical condition already elucidated. Therefore, it is crucial to treat these conditions to reduce the severe complications that can occur due to an enlarged heart.
• Use of heart-protective supplement: Ideally, it is vital to take a supplement that can help improve your heart health, especially if you have underlying health conditions and poor eating habits. NATURE’SFIELD CARDIOVIT contains heart-health-promoting constituents such as B2, B6, B12, folic acid, CoQ10, etc. These work together to promote blood circulation and maintain healthy blood pressure levels.

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes to improve your heart health and overall wellness. Your heart performs a critical role in your body that no other organ can. Therefore, incorporate NATURE’SFIELD CARDIOVIT with these lifestyle changes to ensure your heart is functioning optimally.