Heart Health
What does an enlarged atrium mean?
Ask the doctor
I recently had an echocardiogram because my doctor heard a murmur, and I was told that my heart valves and heart function were both normal. But when I looked at the report, it indicated that I had an enlarged left atrium. What does that mean?The left atrium's size is directly related to your body size, and it may change with age. Two things can cause the left atrium to enlarge: elevated pressure or higher-than-normal blood volume in the left atrium. Either or both of these things can result from several different conditions, the most common being hypertension (high blood pressure). Both treated and untreated high blood pressure have been linked to left atrial enlargement.
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