Be Careful, Heart Swelling Can Cause Heart Failure

the heart is an organ with a very important role for the body. The heart muscle can pump oxygen and blood rich in nutrients throughout the body. That is why, when there are problems such as heart swelling, this cannot be underestimated.

The term associated with the condition of heart swelling is called cardiomyopathy. This term refers to problems in the heart muscle. In many cases, cardiomyopathy causes the heart muscle to enlarge, thicken, to swell.

What happens when cardiomyopathy gets worse? The heart will weaken and cannot pump blood throughout the body.

Consequently, this swelling of the heart can cause heart failure or an abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia).
What are the symptoms of cardiomyopathy or heart swelling?

At the earliest stages of cardiomyopathy, there may not be any symptoms. But when his condition gets worse, there are some symptoms such as:

Unable to breathe well
Knee, ankle and foot swell
The abdomen feels swollen due to a buildup of fluid
Coughing or tightness when lying down
Weak
Very fast heartbeat
Discomfort such as pressure on the chest
Dizzy to faint

If left unchecked, the symptoms above can get worse. Do not rule out the above symptoms can worsen in a short time in some people. However, these symptoms can also not worsen in others.
What causes swelling of the heart?

In many people, heart swelling occurs as a result of other medical problems or can be inherited. Here are some risk factors that trigger heart swelling:

Heredity
High blood pressure in the long run
Heart tissue is damaged due to heart attack
Heart rate is very fast and chronic
Metabolic problems such as obesity, diabetes, to thyroid disorders
Complications during pregnancy
Consume too much alcohol throughout the year
Using cocaine
Iron buildup in heart muscle (hemochromatosis)
Medical conditions that cause inflammation and swelling of cells in the heart (sarcoidosis)

Types of cardiomyopathy

Different people, different reactions to heart swelling in their bodies. In addition, there are basically several types of cardiomyopathy, such as:

Dilated cardiomyopathy

In this type of cardiomyopathy, heart swelling occurs in the left atrium so that it cannot pump blood to the whole body optimally.

Usually, this type of heart swelling occurs in middle-aged men due to a heart attack or coronary heart disease.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

In the next type, there is an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle in the left atrium. Consequently, the heart is difficult to work well.

This type can occur in people of any age, but has the chance to become more severe if detected at an early age. Usually, this is related to genetic factors.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy

In this type, the heart muscle loses its elasticity. As a result, the muscles cannot expand and fill with blood between the beats of the heart. This type of cardiomyopathy usually occurs in the elderly.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia

The next type of cardiomyopathy is quite rare. The medical condition is when the right atrium of the heart muscle is replaced with scar tissue. As a result, there is the problem of irregular heartbeats.

The common thread from several types of cardiomyopathy above is that swelling of the heart can greatly lead to heart failure. In addition, this can also lead to blood clots, heart valve problems, to heart attacks.

When the heart can no longer pump blood according to the body's needs, then life is at stake.