Massive Cardiomegaly ( > 1000 g Heart) and Obesity

Described herein are certain clinical and morphologic findings in 9 patients who at necropsy had hearts weighing>1000 g, a weight approximately 3 times normal. With the exception of 2 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the common finding in the remaining 7 patients was obesity. None had valvular heart disease, the previously described major cause of massive cardiomegaly. Thus, obesity needs to be added to the causes of massive cardiomegaly, a cause not previously recognized. Electrocardiograms in 4 patients disclosed high total 12-lead QRS voltage on the electrocardiogram in only one despite the massive cardiomegaly.
Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research