Cardiomegaly (sometimes megacardia or megalocardia) is a medical condition in which the heart is enlarged. As such, it is more commonly referred to simply as "having an enlarged heart". It is usually the result of underlying conditions that make the heart work harder, such as obesity, heart valve disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), and coronary artery disease. Cardiomyopathy is also associated with cardiomegaly.Cardiomegaly can be serious depending on what part of the heart is enlarged, and can result in congestive heart failure. Recent studies suggest that cardiomegaly is associated with a higher risk of sudden cardiac death.Cardiomegaly may improve over time, but many people with an enlarged heart (dilated cardiomyopathy) need lifelong treatment with medication. Having an immediate family member who has or had cardiomegaly may indicate that a person is more susceptible to getting this condition. Signs and symptoms
For many people, cardiomegaly is asymptomatic. For others, if the enlarged heart begins to affect the bodys ability to pump blood effectively, then symptoms associated with congestive heart failure may arise, including:
Heart palpitations – the irregular beating of the heart, usually associated with a valve issue inside the heart. Severe shortness of breath (especially when physically active) – irregularly unable to catch ones breath. Chest pain
Coughing, when lying down
Fatigue
Swelling in legs
Increased abdominal girth
Weight gain
Edema – swelling
FaintingThere is not much variation in these symptoms because they are mostly specific to the chest area. However, some are more common than others depending on each patient.
For some people cardiomegaly is a temporary condition, which can resolve on its own, making ones lifestyle normal like before. Others may have a permanent enlargement, which would then need to be taken care of by the above treatment options.Lifestyle changes

Smoking cessation
Limiting alcohol and caffeine intake
Maintaining a healthy weight
Increasing fruits and vegetables in a daily diet
Limiting consumption of high-fat and/or high-sugar foods
Getting adequate restful sleep

References
Further reading
Amin, Hina; Siddiqui, Waqas J. (2019). "Cardiomegaly". StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. PMID 31194436. Ampanozi, Garyfalia; Krinke, Eileen; Laberke, Patrick; Schweitzer, Wolf; Thali, Michael J.; Ebert, Lars C. (1 September 2018). "Comparing fist size to heart size is not a viable technique to assess cardiomegaly". Cardiovascular Pathology. 36: 1–5. doi:10.1016/j.carpath.2018.04.009. PMID 29859507. S2CID 44086023. Agostoni, PierGiuseppe; Cattadori, Gaia; Guazzi, Marco; Palermo, Pietro; Bussotti, Maurizio; Marenzi, Giancarlo (1 November 2000). "Cardiomegaly as a possible cause of lung dysfunction in patients with heart failure". American Heart Journal. 140 (5): A17–A21. doi:10.1067/mhj.2000.110282. PMID 11054632. Luedde, Mark; Katus, Hugo; Frey, Norbert (1 January 2006). "Novel Molecular Targets in the Treatment of Cardiac Hypertrophy". Recent Patents on Cardiovascular Drug Discovery. 1 (1): 1–20. doi:10.2174/157489006775244290. PMID 18221071. External links

American Heart Association