Cardiac Hypertrophy, Physiological (original) (raw)

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Definition

Physiological hypertrophy or athlete’s heartdenotes enlargement of the myocardium (heart muscle) in response to exercise. The term physiological distinguishes normal adaptation to exercise from excessive growth associated with pathological conditions like hypertension, valve disease, and heart failure. Physiological hypertrophy typically entails a balanced increase in muscle mass and chamber volume of both ventricles, whereas pathological hypertrophy is either associated with the increase or reduction of ventricular wall thickness relative to chamber volume (concentric versus eccentric hypertrophy). In physiological hypertrophy, cardiac muscle function and pump capacity are increased, whereas pathological hypertrophy is associated with structural changes that eventually impair function (remodeling). Both types of hypertrophy result from increased mechanical loading of the heart muscle and...

References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
    Dr. Ole Johan Kemi
  2. Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
    Øyvind Ellingsen

Authors

  1. Dr. Ole Johan Kemi
  2. Øyvind Ellingsen

Corresponding author

Correspondence toOle Johan Kemi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sports Medicine, Institute of Sports Sciences, Justus-Liebig-University, Am Kugelberg 62, 35393, Giessen, Germany
    Frank C. Mooren

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Kemi, O.J., Ellingsen, Ø. (2012). Cardiac Hypertrophy, Physiological. In: Mooren, F.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Exercise Medicine in Health and Disease. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29807-6\_39

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