Once the heart has been injured, the body will attempt to compensate for reduced blood flow. Unfortunately, many of the countermeasures actually increase strain on the heart and further the development of heart failure.
The heart, after suffering damage or being placed under physical stress by high blood pressure, will begin to change its own shape. This deforming of the ventricles' shape is known as remodeling or hypertrophy.
For comparative terms, the normal heart essentially looks like a football. When the wall thickens in concentric circles (lower left), The heart works less effectively and takes on the shape of a large fist. This may be caused by hypertension, a blocked aortic valve, or underlying genetics. Dilation of the ventricle walls (lower right) gives the weakened heart a beach-ball shape and an inefficient contraction. This prohibits blood from leaving the heart as it normally would. This remodeling pattern follows damage from a heart attack, sustained hypertension, viral infection, or genetic causes.
No comments:
Post a Comment