causes enlarged heart
An enlarged heart is medically known as cardiomegaly. Cardiomegaly can be caused by a number of different conditions, including diseases of the heart muscle or heart valves, high blood pressure, arrhythmias, and pulmonary hypertension. Cardiomegaly can also sometimes accompany longstanding anemia and thyroid diseases, among other conditions. Infiltrative diseases of the heart, for example, in which abnormal proteins (amyloidosis) or excess iron (hemochromatosis) accumulate within the tissues of the heart, can also cause an enlargement of the heart.
Patients with cardiomyopathy, a stiffening and thickening of the heart muscle that weakens it, may develop an enlarged heart as it labors to pump an adequate supply of blood to the body. Coronary artery disease, in which plaque in the arteries interferes with the flow of blood, can cause the heart to enlarge.