Mild Cardiomegaly Symptoms and Treatment

Cardiomegaly is the abnormal enlargement of the heart and is also known as macrocardia or megalocardia. Mild cardiomegaly is a common heart condition in many people and is more prevalent among athletes. The exact cause of the condition is not known but medical research shows that underlying conditions are the cause in most cases. Some common causes of this condition are valvular disease, congenital heart disorders, and alcoholic cardiomyopathy. In some cases, it is possible that mild cardiomegaly is a symptom of a more serious, under-lying disease or illness. The most common diseases likely to cause mild cardiomegaly are Ischemic heart disease, heart cancer and 1q deletion. Mild cardiomegaly can affect people of all age groups and sexes.

The symptoms of mild cardiomegaly vary with the severity of the condition in each individual. One of the most common symptoms of this condition is failure of the heart to pump normally. Other symptoms of mild cardiomegaly are swelling of the legs and ankles. Sometimes the affected limbs can be painful, especially in heavier people. In other cases they will swell but with no pain. People with cardiomegaly will experience tenderness in the right upper quadrant of the heart. Another common symptom is ascites. Ascites is the accumulation of serous fluid in the abdomen. It is often represented by a swollen abdomen. The fluid is usually clear, yellow in color and benign. This symptom always signals that something is amiss in the body. In the case of mild cardiomegaly, it shows that either there is congestive heart failure or renal failure. Shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing is another major symptom of mild cardiomegaly. Ventricular hypertrophy, heart murmur, dizziness, fainting, edema and palpitations are other common symptoms. All these are serious and life-threatening. They require immediate medical attention as soon as they manifest themselves.

Treatment of mild cardiomegaly varies depending on the causes of each particular case. Diagnosis is done using chest X-rays, urinalysis, CBC and ECG (echocardiography). Effective treatment encompasses use of diuretics, ACE Inhibitors and Beta blockers. Alcohol induced cardiomegaly requires different treatment from renal disease-induced cardiomegaly. Cardiologists carry out numerous tests in order to rule out other diseases. Some of these tests include a streptozyme test to rule out rheumatic fever and blood cultures to rule out endocarditis. The symptoms of these diseases are similar to those of mild cardiomegaly and it is easy to misdiagnose them if one is not careful enough.