Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

What it means

An increase in cell size, enhanced protein synthesis, and heightened organization of the sarcomere within cardiac myocytes.

Adult cardiac myocytes are highly specialized, terminally differentiated cells which have lost the ability to divide. The increase in heart muscle mass seen in cardiac hypertrophy occurs predominantly through an increase in myocyte size rather than number. Hypertrophy is the principal response of the heart to overload from any cause, including hypertension, myocardial infarction, valvar heart disease, and dilated cardiomyopathy.

Rare diseases that can present with this2

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Myocyte cellular hypertrophy