Hypertensive Heart Disease

Left ventricular hypertrophy in the absence of other cardiovascular pathology and a history of hypertension

Wall thickness greater than 2.0 cm

Heart weight greater than 500 grams

Myocyte hypertrophy with interstitial fibrosis

The heart at right is normal. The enlarged one at left is from a hypertensive patient.

Note that it is not only enlarged, but also somewhat rounded and dilated.

Left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertension. It is about 2.5 cm thick; normal is

less than 1.5 cm thick.

The cardiac myocytes undergo hypertrophy (enlargement) but not hyperplasia.