TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Swelling heart or what is called cardiomegaly is an enlargement of the heart that is larger than normal. A person’s heart can enlarge if the muscles work so hard that they thicken, or if the chambers widen.
Melansir dari Health Line, pembengkakan jantung bukanlah penyakit. Ini adalah gejala dari kelainan jantung atau kondisi yang membuat jantung bekerja lebih keras, seperti kardiomiopati, masalah katup jantung, atau tekanan darah tinggi. Namun, jantung yang membesar tidak dapat memompa darah seefisien jantung yang tidak membesar. Hal ini dapat menyebabkan komplikasi seperti stroke dan gagal jantung.
Apa yang menjadi penyebab pembengkakan jantung?
Jantung Anda dapat membesar karena kondisi yang Anda alami sejak lahir, atau masalah jantung yang berkembang seiring waktu.
Any disease that makes your heart work harder to pump blood around your body can cause an enlarged heart. Just as the muscles of your arms and legs get bigger when you train them, your heart gets bigger when you train them.
The most common causes of an enlarged heart are ischemic heart disease and high blood pressure. Ischemic heart disease occurs when arteries narrow, caused by fatty deposits building up in your arteries, preventing blood from entering your heart.
Other conditions that can make your heart swell include:
Cardiomyopaths
Cardiomyopathy is a progressive heart disease with several types. Diseases that damage the heart muscle can cause it to enlarge. The more damage that occurs, the weaker the heart becomes and less able to pump.
heart valve disease
Infections, connective tissue diseases, and some medications can damage the valves that keep blood flowing in the right direction through your heart. When blood flows backwards, the heart has to work harder to push it out.
Heart attack
During a heart attack, blood flow to part of the heart is completely blocked. Lack of oxygen-rich blood damages the heart muscle.
Thyroid disease
The thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism. Both overproduction (hyperthyroidism) and underproduction (hypothyroidism) of these hormones can affect heart rate, blood pressure, and heart size.
Irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
If you have an irregular heartbeat, instead of beating in the usual lub-dub pattern, your heart is pounding or beating too slowly or fast. Irregular heart rhythms can cause blood to back up into the heart and eventually damage the muscles.
Default condition
Congenital cardiomegaly is a heart defect that you are born with. Congenital heart defects that cause these symptoms include:
- Atrial septal defect, a hole in the wall that separates the two upper chambers of the heart
- Ventricular septal defect, a hole in the wall that separates the two lower chambers of the heart
- Coarctation of the aorta, narrowing of the aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body
- Patent ductus arteriosus, hole in the aorta
- Ebstein anomaly, a problem with the valves that separate the two right chambers of the heart (atria and ventricles)
- Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), a combination of birth defects that interfere with the normal flow of blood through the heart
- Lung disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Miocarditis
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Anemia
- Connective tissue diseases, such as scleroderma
- Drug and alcohol use
Maintenance
To treat an enlarged heart, you will prescribe a treatment plan for the condition that causes the enlarged heart. As:
- High blood pressure: ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and beta-blockers
- Irregular heartbeat: antiarrhythmic drugs, pacemakers, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)
- Heart valve problems: surgery to repair or replace damaged valves
- coronary artery narrowing: percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and nitrates
- heart failure: diuretics, beta-blockers, inotropes, and in a minority of people, left ventricular assist devices (LVAD)
- Other procedures can correct congenital heart defects. If you try several treatments and they don’t work, you may need a heart transplant.
Conditions that cause cardiomegaly can damage the heart muscle. They can cause complications if left untreated. This includes:
- Heart failure. When the left ventricle enlarges, it can lead to heart failure. So the heart is not able to pump enough blood to the body.
- Blood clots. When the heart is not pumping properly, blood can collect and clot into clots. A blood clot can travel to the brain and get lodged in a blood vessel there, causing a stroke.
- Heart noise. When the valves in your heart don’t close properly, they create an abnormal sound called a murmur.
- Heart failure. If your heart is enlarged, it may not be getting enough blood which can cause a heart attack. The heart can stop working properly, which can cause sudden death.
So, how to treat and prevent swelling of the heart?
- Physical training. Exercise a few days a week. Ask your doctor which type of exercise is safest for you.
- Quit smoking. Methods such as nicotine replacement products and therapy can help you quit smoking.
- Lose weight. Losing weight, especially if you are overweight, can help.
- Limit certain foods. Limit salt, cholesterol, and saturated and trans fats in your diet.
- Avoid certain things. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and drugs such as cocaine.
- Avoid stress. Practice relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga to reduce stress to prevent heart swelling.
VALMAI ALZENA KARLA
Read: 11 Symptoms of a Heart Attack That Shouldn’t Be Underestimated
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