Fatty heart (lipomatosis cordis) is an excessive growth of fat tissue in the heart muscle. It appears in overweight and obese people. It may worsen heart failure. How does the heart let you know if it is too fat?

Fatty heartoccurs primarily in people who areoverweightandobesity . Especially in those whose excess body fat is stored by the body in the abdominal area. Hence the name of the disease - so-called obesity. ventral (or: central, visceral, apple-like). With this type of obesity, the growing fat tissue weakens or prevents the proper functioning of internal organs, including the heart.

Additionally, adipose tissue secretes harmful substances that can lead to many complications of obesity, such as fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, lipid disorders, hypertension, atherosclerosis, kidney damage, stroke and heart disease.

Worth knowing

How to find out how much body fat you have on your stomach?

Measure your waist size with a tape measure. The first time it can be difficult. Waist circumference is not the same as that measured by the seamstress waist circumference. If you find it difficult to find the widest point on your belly and the subsequent measurements are different, ask your doctor to measure your waist circumference and teach you how to do it correctly yourself. 94) - you are overweight when it is equal to or greater than 88 cm (in men 94) - you already suffer from obesity, the so-called abdominal. You will need such a measurement especially if you are on a reducing diet, i.e. a slimming diet. Because it is the reduction of the waist circumference, and not the number of kilograms lost, that signifies the progress in the treatment of overweight and obesity.

How does fatty tissue work on the heart?

In a properly built and functioning heart, adipose tissue constitutes only 1.5 to 2 percent. all its mass. As it grows, it builds up in the space between the heart muscle and the serosa that surrounds it. And mainly on the right ventricle and right atrium side. Fatty heart comes in two forms: simple and degenerative. The latter is the more dangerous. With degenerative adiposis, fat cells penetrate between the cellsof the heart muscle (the so-called cardiomyocytes) and make them disappear. In this way, adipose tissue can impair the structure of the heart and its function. The good news is that, by itself, fatty heart does not cause circulatory failure, i.e. abnormal blood flow through the organs. But the worse information is that when it comes to heart failure, fat can significantly exacerbate its course. A heart weakened by the adipose tissue that "wraps" it simply cannot cope with pumping blood.

How does the heart know that it is too fat?

Consult your doctor if:

  • you feel tired even after slight physical exertion
  • you feel pain behind your breastbone (flat bone in the center of your chest) or around your heart
  • your heart rate is slower than normal - normal adult heart rate is 70 beats per minute
  • you lose consciousness with sudden pale skin and a feeling of coldness.

To confirm that the heart is fatty, a cardiac echo or computed tomography (CT) scan is performed.

Important

Poradnikzdrowie.pl supports safe treatment and a dignified life of people suffering from obesity. This article does not contain discriminatory and stigmatizing content of people suffering from obesity.

About the authorMagdalena Gajda A specialist in obesity disease and obesity discrimination of people with diseases. President of the OD-WAGA Foundation of People with Obesity, Social Ombudsman for the Rights of People with Obesity in Poland and a representative of Poland in the European Coalition for People Living with Obesity. By profession - a journalist specializing in he alth issues, as well as a PR, social communication, storytelling and CSR specialist. Privately - obesity since childhood, after bariatric surgery in 2010. Starting weight - 136 kg, current weight - 78 kg.

OD-WAGA Foundation

Category:

Obesity