In order to understand exactly what Left Ventricular Hypertrophy is, it is important to be able to break down the word. The prefix Hyper- means over or more, and the suffix -trophy means well-fed. Therefore, LVH is the thickening and/ or the enlargement of the left ventricle. Under normal conditions, the left ventricle of the heart is responsible for the big push that sends blood through the aorta and to the rest of the body (Sheir 2015, p.560). When the left ventricle becomes thickened, or enlarged it causes your heart to work harder. Therefore, putting your body under stress or tension. This can be caused, and contribute to other heart issues. Such as, hypertension (high blood pressure). One of the more common reasons for hypertension is
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Though, there are not as many noticeable symptoms for the patient themselves. As stated earlier, one main signs of LVH is hypertension. Hypertension is particularly dangerous because there are few symptoms that go along with it until it becomes serious. Which is why it is more commonly known as the silent killer (Association of Ventricular Late Contractions, 2016, p. 841). This is an issue associated with LVH because the harder your heart is working the higher your blood pressure will be. Therefore, due to the thickening of the left ventricle the heart must work harder to push blood out, and subsequently increases your blood pressure, causing hypertension (Sheir, 2015, p. 583). Another sign of LVH is the thickening of the left ventricle which goes hand in hand with other signs, such as, increased pressure in the left ventricle and increase in volume load (Alkema, Spitzer, Soliman, 2016, p. 257). Both, increased pressure and volume load are signs unknown to the patient. The doctor can diagnose these signs with certain tests, such as, an Echocardiography which is the most popular method of diagnosis. There are also other tests that can be useful. A few examples are the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), and a computed tomography (CT), which are both becoming more increasingly used in clinical practices (Alkema, Spitzer, Soliman, 2016, p. 257). A final sign associated with LVH and hypertension is increased insulin resistance. Insulin resistance has been found to increase left ventricular growth even more in patients with hypertension (Oncel, 2016, p. 142). In conclusion, if you are diagnosed with LVH it is important to watch your weight and exercise to help lower your blood pressure, therefore, reducing your chances of enlarging you left ventricle even
Though, there are not as many noticeable symptoms for the patient themselves. As stated earlier, one main signs of LVH is hypertension. Hypertension is particularly dangerous because there are few symptoms that go along with it until it becomes serious. Which is why it is more commonly known as the silent killer (Association of Ventricular Late Contractions, 2016, p. 841). This is an issue associated with LVH because the harder your heart is working the higher your blood pressure will be. Therefore, due to the thickening of the left ventricle the heart must work harder to push blood out, and subsequently increases your blood pressure, causing hypertension (Sheir, 2015, p. 583). Another sign of LVH is the thickening of the left ventricle which goes hand in hand with other signs, such as, increased pressure in the left ventricle and increase in volume load (Alkema, Spitzer, Soliman, 2016, p. 257). Both, increased pressure and volume load are signs unknown to the patient. The doctor can diagnose these signs with certain tests, such as, an Echocardiography which is the most popular method of diagnosis. There are also other tests that can be useful. A few examples are the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), and a computed tomography (CT), which are both becoming more increasingly used in clinical practices (Alkema, Spitzer, Soliman, 2016, p. 257). A final sign associated with LVH and hypertension is increased insulin resistance. Insulin resistance has been found to increase left ventricular growth even more in patients with hypertension (Oncel, 2016, p. 142). In conclusion, if you are diagnosed with LVH it is important to watch your weight and exercise to help lower your blood pressure, therefore, reducing your chances of enlarging you left ventricle even