How does someone get an enlarged heart?

Are you feeling a little extra in the chest area lately? Perhaps it’s time to check if you’re dealing with more than just your run-of-the-mill heartbreak. That extra heft around your cardiac region may well be due to an enlarged heart. Here are some things that could be causing this pesky condition.

The basics: What is an enlarged heart?

Before we go any further, let’s clarify what exactly we mean by ‘enlarged heart’. Essentially, it refers to a swelling or thickening of the walls of one or both sides of the organ. It’s not exactly something you want on your CV – having a bigger-than-usual ticker can lead to all sorts of complications down the line.

Symptoms

So how do you tell if your precious pump has blown up like a balloon? Look out for symptoms such as shortness of breath, swollen limbs and tiredness – these could all indicate that something isn’t quite right with your trusty ol’ circulatory machine.

Causes

But what causes this quirky quirk in the first place?

You’ve got hypertension (aka chronic high blood pressure)

We know precisely how frustratingly high those bills from College Billiards may get sometimes- but resorting to constant campus shutdowns should never become necessary! If you choose instead not blow off steam by hacking into computers where you shouldn’t, hyperventilating over money problems will raise even more temperature levels–and BP readings!

Tension headaches aren’t just mere figments of some people’s imaginations; they’re real-life consequences when angry outbursts become commonplace! Don’t want it water cooler whispered behind closed cubicle panels that no-one wanted problem pupil promotions at career-fair networking events cause ‘good PR’ was required thanks to our self-checkout checkout gamblers!!!

Low fat diets, avoiding stress and regular exercise are vital measures to counter hypertension–and keep the heart in tip-top shape.

A dose of infection, coming right up!

Your immune system is pretty nifty at doing its job – but sometimes it can accidentally cause problems. Conditions that fall into this category include myocarditis (an inflammatory condition) as well as various viruses such as COVID-19, HIV and Coxsackie. Better invest in some quality sanitizing gel!

How does infection lead to an enlarged heart?

Infections essentially irritate the walls of your heart muscle tissue which causes them to inflame or thicken up. And voila! Just like that you have yourself a ticker that’s not quite so nimble anymore.

Time for a change…or just sleep it off

Sometimes our lifestyles throw us curveballs we never expected – maybe you’re indulging a little more than usual in certain foods or drinks (glass of red wine, anyone?) If this sounds familiar, making lifestyle changes could help reduce inflammation levels and lead to better cardiac health overall.

Alcohol consumption

It’s easy enough – ASK YOUR DOCTOR!!! Anyone running on coffee fumes knows; once things get past PG-rated party planning tips hotlines next week benefits are hotter nights through alcohol induced snores!! Unhealthy drinking habits could increase your risk of developing alcoholic cardiomyopathy: basically an enlarged heart caused by too much grog over time-and one serious reason not to let those fun frat parties take over university life!

Remember what mom said – everything in moderation!!

Sleeping disorders

Of course college-lifestyle might require caffeine fuelled all-nighters every now and then–but improperly managed sleeping patterns will hurt more than IQ scores. Things like obstructive sleep apnea can put extra pressure on (yes these organs do exist), impacting blood flow levels around the body.

The solution here is simple…well kind of! Quality 💤💤 is key. Now, any excuse can be made to catch some extra hours of those most precious zeds – even if it means phoning in ‘sick’ to class the morning after a feverish game of Frisbee-Jenga!

Your genes have got it in for you

Here’s something that really isn’t your fault! Sometimes our genetic makeup can prime us from birth towards certain conditions. These congenital afflictions such as heart valve issues or cardiomyopathy (when the heart muscles become abnormally thick), unfortunately, often result in an enlarged heart being par for the course.

How Do Congenital Abnormalities Cause Enlarged Hearts?

When your genes match up with things like smoking cigarettes or eating bowls and bowls of sugar puffs daily, they make sure to lower their defenses: Cardiac walls are more likely to underperform-& inflaming them further.

It goes without saying that prevention might just be better than cure when we’re talking about genetic mutations – opting for regular check ups with your GP could help manage inherited conditions before they snowball into larger issues down the line.

The verdict

So- now you know what causes people’s circulatory systems to suddenly possess a bit more circumference than necessary–and how one thing leads on another This condition can bring tons of unwanted stress upon college life but remember keep calm; panic attacks don’t count as cardiovascular exercise! And always get checked out by a medical professional if you suspect anything might be amiss 🔍👨‍⚕️