
What Causes Right Atrial Enlargement?

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

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