Risk Factors And Causes Of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Age And Gender

Age and gender cannot cause left ventricular hypertrophy to develop on their own, but both factors can increase an individual's risk of developing it. Women are more likely to develop left ventricular hypertrophy when they have high blood pressure than men. Studies have suggested the reason behind this is that women experience more significant damage to organs and blood vessels from high blood pressure than men do. In addition, women have smaller coronary arteries on average than men. The smaller coronary artery size combined with high blood pressure can cause a limitation of blood flow to the tissues of the heart. Reduced blood flow to part of the muscular heart tissue causes other regions of the heart to work harder in efforts to compensate. This overburden can cause the left ventricle to become thicker than usual.

Advanced age can cause an individual to have an increased risk for developing left ventricular hypertrophy in several ways as well. The arteries around the body become hard and stiff as an individual ages and plaque can also build up in the arteries that cause the heart to work harder. Hormones can influence the way calcium channels regulate the heart rhythm, and an individual of advanced age is more likely to experience high blood pressure than those who are younger.

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