Heart larger on left

[busjosh1]

My  son was just diagnosed with having a heart that is "larger on the left than the right."  What does this mean, what is it called, how could this effect his health and future?  Thank you. I'm scared to death!!

[Squarewheel]

Hi, how did you get the diagnosis? did he have either an xray or an ultra sound scan of the heart?  How old is he?  Have they organised for a follow up?

I am a 30yr female, I have dilated Cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart), treatment (if any) will depend on the severity, its cause and many other factors.
If it is DCM, it can (in some cases) spontaniously recover or improve with medication.
Some people with this have few to no symptoms, others have symptoms such as palpatations, fatigue, achy muscles etc.
He should see a cardiologist on a regular basis to begin with, so they can keep a close eye for any changes.

I hope this helps
Good luck

[Darcy Green Conaway, MD]

There are many causes of an enlarged heart in young adults. I would recommend an echocardiogram so that you know the "ejection fraction" (how well the heart is pumping) and then go from there.
Having said that, the left heart is bigger than the right heart on echocardiogram (that is normal)...so I would get more information before getting too panicked.Good luck

[busjosh1]

My son is 28 years old. He was having chest discomfort, not really pain, and he felt like he couldn't take a deep enought breath.  He went to the doctor and they did a chest x-ray and the Dr. told him that the left side of his heart was "enormous!"  He is supposed to go back to the Dr. on Friday.  

Thanks alot for the info!