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What causes cardiomegaly?

What causes cardiomegaly?  
Are there any signs or symptoms of this condition?
Is it heredity?  
Always the outcome in situations of cardiomegaly?  
Can previous 'injury' to the heart cause this condition?  
Is it a condition or disease?  
Any additional information you could provide me would be greatly appreciated.

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Avatar universal
What kenkeith is describing is related to Dilated Cardiomyopathy. The causes for that, he has already described for you. There are several forms of cardiomyopathy (dilated, hypertrophic,restrictive, alcoholic and prenatal) and there are different causes for them. An enlarged heart that is caused from thickened walls (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) is generally a genetic form of heart disease and is considered a disease, not a condition. Cardiomegaly is just another word for cardiomyopathy. Cardio refers to the heart, myo to the muscle and pathy refers to a disease. Altogether, it is "a muscle disease of the heart". HCM does not get better if it is a true form of the disease. Some people can live years with this disease, some do not live for a day. About 5% of HCM patients need transplants.  
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367994 tn?1304953593
Q: What causes cardiomegaly?

>>>>>It is often the result of high blood pressure.  It can also be the result of other heart disorders such as heart valves, congested heart failure, and can be the result of non-cardiac causes such as long term anemia.  It can be due to heart muscle disease, alcohol, drugs medication, and the heart can enlarge due extreme physical activity (athlete's heart) over a period of time..  Athlete's heart is not a pathologcal condition, and will return to normal size when the activity is reduced or stopped.

Q: "Are there any signs or symptoms of this condition?"
Shortness of breath, easily fatigued, chest pain (angina)...Dizziness, Abnormal heart rhythm, cough, swelling (edema), Cough.

Q:"Is it heredity?"
The underlying cause can have a genetic component.

Q:"Always the outcome in situations of cardiomegaly"?

Depemds o the underlying cause and effective treatment.  If the undrlying cause is high blood pressure, the heart may have enlarged due to stressful workload.  Reduce BP can return the heart to normal size.  If there is muscle disease or necrotic heart cells from a previous heart attack, the reduction to normal size may not happen.

Q: "Can previous 'injury' to the heart cause this condition?"
Yes, a previous injury can/will cause cardiomegaly.

Q: "Is it a condition or disease?"

Its a condition caused by a disease such as coronary artery disease (cause for high blood pressure).  There can be heart muscle disease.  A condition can cause an enlarged heart such as structual anomalies (heart valves, hole in the heart (ASD), vessel structual abnormalities, etc.

Hope this helps, if you have any further questions, you are welcome to ask.  Thanks for question.  Take care.

  





heart condition that causes the heart to become larger than normal as a result of heart disease. Cardiomegaly is most often linked to high blood pressure, but it can also occur as a result of other heart conditions, such as congestive heart failure, and other non-cardiac causes such as long-term anemia
Enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) isn't a disease, but rather a symptom of another condition.

The term "cardiomegaly" most commonly refers to an enlarged heart seen on chest X-ray before other tests are performed to diagnose the specific condition causing your enlarged heart. You may develop an enlarged heart temporarily because of a stress on your body, such as pregnancy, or because of a medical condition, such as the weakening of the heart muscle, coronary artery disease, heart valve problems or abnormal heart rhythms.

While having an enlarged heart may not always be preventable, it's usually treatable. Treatment for enlarged heart is aimed at correcting the underlying cause. Treatment for an enlarged heart can include medications, medical procedures or surgery.
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