Risk Factors And Causes Of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Hypertension

Hypertension occurs when the blood exerts too much force against the blood vessel walls. It is medically defined as a blood pressure reading of 130/80 millimeters of mercury or higher. This can be a result of another underlying medical condition, or it can be due to genetic factors. The consumption of certain medications and substances may also cause a patient to have high blood pressure. When an individual is overweight or obese, their blood volume increases. The increase in blood volume causes blood pressure to rise as well. Lifestyle choices such as diet, alcohol consumption, inactiveness, and tobacco use can also cause high blood pressure. When an individual has hypertension for an extended duration of time, the heart has to work harder to adequately pump the blood against the elevated pressure in the blood vessels. The elevated vessel pressure causes resistance in the normal flow of oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. As the heart works harder to compensate for this, the muscle tissues of the left ventricle will thicken, and left ventricular hypertrophy will progress.

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