Enlarged Heart and age 22

[jman1987]

Today I went to the Chiropractor to get adjusted because of an old sports injury that was acting up again.  The doctor had me take x-rays to see what my bone structure looked like.  Doing so he seemed pretty concerned with the size of my heart saying that it was too large.  He also mentioned that it looked like I had healthy lungs.  After our conversation he said that I should see a doctor about these problems.  Is this something that I should be overly concerned about?  Do I need to just go to a family doctor or a cardiologist?  What can I do to get better besides change the problem areas that I mention below?

So here is my background.  I am a 22 year old male.  I have been big into running and lifting my whole life and counted several personal and team state championships in high school.  I am a recent graduate from college but over the last 4 years I gained 40 pounds and went from being in excellent shape to well, still muscular but overweight by probably 25 pounds from where I would like to be.  I still lift and run everyday but as with many college guys I probably drank too much and didn't eat right.  I smoke an occasional cigar but I am not a smoker.  Now that I am in my career I don’t live like a college kid so it is a much healthier lifestyle for me, with less drinking and healthier eating.  I have an extensive family history of heart disease; my grandfather had his first heart attack in his 40's and died two years ago.  My dad had a heart attack last year at age 42, and he is in excellent shape; running and lifting every day.

I appreciate any help you can offer to the questions I addressed because I would like to take care of this problem while I still can.  Thank you!

[grendslori]

It is important that you see a doctor about this. An enlarged heart can be Athletes Heart or it could be one of the forms of Cardiomyopathy. You should not be doing any real exercising before finding out the cause of the enlargement. Go see a doctor.

[jman1987]

Thank you for the great info and for relieving some of my worries!  I guess I'll just go to the family doctor and just get a check-up to make sure all is well and mention my concerns.  I'm not really sure what caused my grandfathers but my Dad's was caused by a combination of high blood pressure, over work, and high stress.  Since I haven't been to the doctor in 5 years I don't know my blood pressure, but I too have a pretty high pressure job so I guess that is something I should be aware of.

[MamaBush]

What caused the heart attacks of your father and grandfather?  It's important to know that if it was due to plaque buildup, congestive heart failure, or an enlarged or too small of a heart.

My grandmother had an enlarged heart all her life; she ended up dying from something else.  Doctors said that since she had an enlarged heart all her life, that it wasn't a concern to them.

What kenkeith said makes perfect sense as well.

[kenkeith]

It is possible your heart size is normal for you; or it could be the result of physical activities (an athlete's heart) that is non-pathological, but the size should reduce when vigorous activities cease.  It is unlikely you have a heart problem at your age and no symptoms, however, with a family history it is generally recommended to periodically evaluate.