News Update

Ryan Shay dead due to enlarged heart
Ryan Shay ,28 yr old elite distance runner collapsed & died Saturday during the U.S men's marathon Olympic trials ,the reason of death was his enlarged heart -What is enlarged heart,what cause enlarged heart,how to diagnose enlarged heart,symptoms of enlarged heart ,& treatment for enlarged heart -find all answers .

Ryan Shay dead - Death of Ryan Shay (28),NY marathon miss u

Enlarged heart is also called cardiomegaly. An enlarged heart means that the heart is bigger than normal.

Enlarged heart symptoms

Shortness of breath, fatigue, leg swelling etc. An enlarged heart may put you at a high risk for rhythm problems. Some people with enlarged heart may have no symptoms whatsoever.

Enlarged heart Diagnosis

• Chest X-ray
• EKG test
• Echo cardiogram in these cases may show no heart enlargement.
• A good quality echo is an excellent test

What cause enlarged heart

- Diseases that damage the heart muscle: viral infection, heavy alcohol use, some chemotherapy medicines, uncontrolled high blood pressure, HIV infection etc.
- Diseases of the heart valves. These could include tightening of the valves or leakage of the heart valves.
- Uncontrolled rhythm (persistent fast heart rate for a long time) problems of the heart can sometime lead to enlarged heart.
- The blockage of heart arteries can lead to damage of heart muscle leading to enlarged heart.
- Some defects in the heart structure like hole in the heart can cause enlarged heart.
- As heart and lungs are interconnected, diseases of the lungs can put pressure on the heart.

Treatment for enlarged heart

Some problems like valve diseases may need to be corrected surgically, while others may need to be treated medically.Enlarged heart may come back to normal size after appropriate treatment. Sometime a life style change like abstinence from alcohol can cure this potentially serious problem. It is very important to make a diligent effort to find out, and if possible, treat the cause of enlarged heart. Even if you do not have symptoms, you may need to be on medicines to prevent heart failure and/or rhythm problems.

Enlarged heart does not cause immediate death (depends on the cause of enlarged heart ) so take appropriate medication & heart will back to normal size .