Hypertrophy of such an organ as the heart is a phenomenon that occurs quite often. At the same time, muscles, various departments are affected, blood flow worsens. Most often, changes in the left ventricle are diagnosed. But the right ventricle can also be problematic, hypertrophy of its muscle tissue is often found in children. In the normal state, the thickness of its walls is 2 or 3 mm. If this value increases, then we can talk about the development of hypertrophy.
Types of hypertrophy
Depending on how the structure of the heart is disturbed, these types of hypertrophy are distinguished: concentric and eccentric. At the first, the walls of the heart become thicker, but the volume of the ventricles and atria decreases. The second type is characterized by the expansion of the cavities of the heart.
There is also a classification depending on the causes of occurrence. Under heavy loads, the leftor the right ventricle, hypertrophy in this case is called working. If it occurs as a result of diseases of a different kind, then in this case they speak of replacement hypertrophy.
In a normal state, the right ventricle is smaller than the left. Three stages of hypertrophy of this part are distinguished: mild (there are slight deviations), medium (the right side is still smaller than the left) and severe (the size of the right ventricle exceeds the parameters of the left one).
Causes of occurrence
The reasons for the development of this disease can be both congenital and acquired. The causes of right ventricular hypertrophy may be associated with past respiratory diseases (asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, emphysema, polycystic). Another factor is congenital heart disease. There are also a number of conditions that can provoke disturbances in the work of the heart. The altered right ventricle, hypertrophy of its tissues is a consequence of obesity, poliomyelitis, problems with the musculoskeletal system. Great physical activity can also provoke a thickening of the walls of the heart.
Hypertrophy in newborns
Most often this syndrome occurs in newborns as a result of problems with the development and functionality of the heart. This condition develops in the first days of life, when the load on this organ is especially great (especially on its right half).
Hypertrophy of the right ventricle of the heart also develops with a defect in the septum that separates the ventricles. This mixes the bloodit becomes insufficiently saturated with oxygen. The heart, trying to restore normal blood flow, increases the load on the right ventricle. Hypertrophy is also possible due to tetralogy of Fallot, a narrowing of the pulmonary valve. If you find any symptoms that indicate abnormal heart function, you should immediately take the child to a specialist.
Main symptoms
In the initial stages, the disease may be asymptomatic. However, the more the organ increases, the more pronounced the manifestation of this pathology becomes. Hypertrophy of the right ventricle of the heart may be accompanied by dizziness, loss of balance, pain in the chest. A person notes a violation of the heart rhythm, it becomes difficult to breathe, as if there is not enough oxygen. Often there is swelling of the legs. Signs of right ventricular hypertrophy in children are as follows: the skin becomes bluish. This is especially noticeable when crying.
How the diagnosis works
If you have these symptoms, the first thing to do is to see a doctor. During the initial examination, the specialist may hear a heart murmur. A special risk group is those who are associated with heavy loads, have bad habits, as well as athletes. The hereditary factor is also important.
Echocardiography provides reliable information about the state of the organ. A slight hypertrophy of the right ventricle on the ECG does not make significant changes. Some change in the teeth can only establish the fact of an increase in tissues, butcomplete information about the thickness of the ventricle is given by ultrasound. This method indicates in detail the problem areas, their location. When using Doppler ultrasound, you can additionally set the speed of blood flow, its direction. A chest x-ray can also show enlargement of the heart. However, it is worth remembering that right ventricular hypertrophy on the ECG is noticeable with fairly large changes. Obtaining normal results on this examination cannot exclude the presence of changes.
Hypertrophy treatment
The treatment of this condition is primarily aimed at eliminating the causes of its occurrence. At the same time, a person should normalize his weight, get rid of bad habits, introduce moderate physical activity into his daily routine. If respiratory diseases became the cause of hypertrophy, then therapy is aimed at relieving inflammatory processes, treating bronchitis. In this case, drugs are prescribed that improve the metabolic processes occurring in the heart muscle. The hypertrophy of the right ventricle of the heart resulting from defects in the treatment involves surgery. Surgical intervention is also indicated in the progression of the disease, a significant deterioration in the work of the heart, a violation of the supply of oxygen to internal organs.
The operation can be carried out in two ways. At the first, the chest is cut, the blood circulation stops for a while. At this time, defects are eliminated or an organ transplant occurs. Intervention of the secondtype is performed through an artery (femoral) or vein (jugular). At the same time, the heart continues to work in the usual mode, the trauma is minimal. If the disease is detected in time, then it lends itself well to therapy. Constant visits to the doctor, taking medications - these are the activities that can stop the increase in heart tissue.
Danger of this condition
Any violations in the work of the heart have serious consequences, because it is this organ that provides our body with oxygen. An increase in the right section indicates that the load on this area increases significantly. Subsequently, the heart may cease to cope with a large amount of work. There are malfunctions in the functioning of the heart muscle, arrhythmia.
Right ventricular hypertrophy can change the structure of arteries and other vessels. They can become much harder, as a result of which the blood flow in the small circle is disturbed, the pressure increases, and the patency, respectively, becomes less. It should be noted that an increase in the right section leads to the formation of the so-called cor pulmonale.
