Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
What Causes Right Atrial Enlargement?
Question: Please explain anatomy and consequences of right atrial enlargement?67 yo healthy, active female, with MVP, normal/slim weight in health related profession (psych). In 20's, murmur was graded <1 only audible to good ear, now grade 2. Gets regular cardio exercise, probably a bit more breathless with hard cardio (e.g., Jacob's ladder at gym than comparable person w/o MVP). + fam hx for MVP (mo) and mo died of arrest at 90 while in hosp but ready to go home (perhaps precipitated by allergic rxn to med.)
Brief Answer:
Predisposition to atrial arrhytmias
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question, welcome to HCM. I read your query.
Atria are heart chambers with low cardiac muscle present in their walls and content. That is why, whenever pressure and volume is raised within these chambers, they do not have the capacity to be thickened, as a compensatory mechanism, but they use dilation (enlargment) as the first compensatory mechanism due to heightened pressures and volumes within these chambers.
Why is this important? This is important because, when a heart chamber dilates, the cardiac muscle cells move away from each other, and the space created in between them, is replaced with non-functional scar tissue.
Now, the electrical impulse moves from one cell to another in "neighbourhood" style. When there is scar tissue present, there is a predisposition for atrial arrhythmias to be generated. To sum up, whenever the atrias are enlarged, there is always a predisposition to atrial arrhythmias - non-malignant, controllable arrhythmias, if properly prevented, treated and anticoagulated.
At this moment, I would recommend you to be started on a beta-blocker that controls the heart rate, such as propranolol, metoprolol or atenolol. Discuss this option with your cardiologist.
I hope I was helpful and thorough. I am happy to help, if you have follow-up questions.
Best regards,
Dr. Meriton
Predisposition to atrial arrhytmias
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question, welcome to HCM. I read your query.
Atria are heart chambers with low cardiac muscle present in their walls and content. That is why, whenever pressure and volume is raised within these chambers, they do not have the capacity to be thickened, as a compensatory mechanism, but they use dilation (enlargment) as the first compensatory mechanism due to heightened pressures and volumes within these chambers.
Why is this important? This is important because, when a heart chamber dilates, the cardiac muscle cells move away from each other, and the space created in between them, is replaced with non-functional scar tissue.
Now, the electrical impulse moves from one cell to another in "neighbourhood" style. When there is scar tissue present, there is a predisposition for atrial arrhythmias to be generated. To sum up, whenever the atrias are enlarged, there is always a predisposition to atrial arrhythmias - non-malignant, controllable arrhythmias, if properly prevented, treated and anticoagulated.
At this moment, I would recommend you to be started on a beta-blocker that controls the heart rate, such as propranolol, metoprolol or atenolol. Discuss this option with your cardiologist.
I hope I was helpful and thorough. I am happy to help, if you have follow-up questions.
Best regards,
Dr. Meriton
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
