Left Ventricular Hypertrophy known as LVH is the thickening of the heart muscle on the left side. Although this condition is not related as heart disease by itself it can cause heart problems or be related to other heart problems.

LVH occurs naturally as a reaction to body builders and people who do aerobic exercise. When exercising; it is usually referred to as a pathological reaction to cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure.

Disease processes that can cause LVH include any disease that increases the heart overload due to blockages like plaque, hypertension, aortic stenosis and aortic insufficiency and some diseases of the muscle of the heart known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathies and can lead to heart failure.

To diagnosis Left Ventricular Hypertrophy the doctor usually orders an electrocardiogram or known as an (ECG). The electrocardiogram often shows signs of increased voltage from the heart in individuals with LVH. The ECG lets the doctor decide if you need further testing for Left Ventricular Hypertrophy.

Should the doctor decide that you need further testing the doctor will usually schedule an echocardiogram. The echocardiogram produces images of the left ventricle. This measures the left side of the hearts ventricle.