What is left ventricular hypertrophy commonly caused by?

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is commonly caused by sustained high blood pressure, or hypertension. When blood pressure is elevated, the left ventricle works harder to pump blood against this increased resistance. Over time, this extra workload leads to changes in the heart muscle, resulting in thickening of the left ventricular wall—this is the hypertrophy part.

The body adapts to chronic stressors like hypertension through hypertrophy, allowing the heart to generate more force and maintain adequate blood flow despite the increased workload. This adaptive response, however, can lead to pathological changes if the underlying cause (hypertension) is not addressed, increasing the risk of heart failure, arrhythmias, and other cardiovascular complications.

Increased exercise typically leads to physiological changes in the heart that can be adaptive and beneficial, rather than pathological hypertrophy. Decreased blood flow typically does not directly cause hypertrophy but rather could lead to other issues such as ischemia or atrophy of the heart muscle. Normal aging can lead to changes in the heart's structure and function, but these changes are generally less pronounced and different from the pathological hypertrophy associated with hypertension.