Hypertrophy of the right atrium is an enlargement of the heart, into which venous blood enters, collected in large blood vessels from the entire human body. This is not an independent disease, but a pathological condition that occurs with a significant atrial overload due to the influx of large volumes of blood and increased pressure.
The causes of hypertrophy of the right atrium
The main causes of hypertrophy of the right atrium are congenital malformations. These can be defects of the interatrial septum, when the blood from the left atrium enters both the left and right ventricles, or diseases that are accompanied by the development of hypertrophy, for example, the tetralogy of Fallot or the Ebstein abnormality.
This state also appears when:
- obesity;
- stenosis;
- hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Symptoms of right atrial hypertrophy
The first signs of hypertrophy of the right atrium are shortness of breath even with a slight load or at rest, coughing at night and hemoptysis. If the heart stops coping with the increased load, there are symptoms associated with congestion of venous blood:
- swelling of the legs ;
- bloating;
- heaviness in the hypochondrium;
- expansion of veins on the abdomen.
In the absence of GPP treatment, the patient has a lack of blood flow in both circles and a pulmonary heart. As a result, the skin becomes bluish and there are abnormalities in the functioning of the internal organs.
Diagnosis of right atrial hypertrophy
After the appearance of the first signs of right atrial hypertrophy, an ECG should be urgently done. The results of this study will reveal the size and thickness of the walls of the heart chambers, as well as violations in cardiac contractions.
If the ECG diagnosis of right atrial hypertrophy has been confirmed, the patient may additionally be given an X-ray or computed tomography of the chest, which will help to clarify the cause of this deviation.
Treatment of right atrial hypertrophy
The goal of treating right atrial hypertrophy is to reduce the size of all parts of the heart to normal. This is the only way to significantly improve the performance of the heart muscle and provide the body with sufficient oxygen. It will help in this drug therapy and lifestyle changes (rejection of all bad habits, increased physical activity, etc.).
In cases where hypertrophy of the right atrium was caused by heart defects , the patient is assigned a surgical operation to correct them.