What causes thickening of the walls of the heart?

What causes thickening of the walls of the heart?

Usual cause of thickening of the walls of the heart (heart muscle ) is an increase in the load which produces a compensatory increase in thickness to overcome the added load. This occurs when there is an increase in the blood pressure or when there is an obstruction or leakage of a valve or a defect in the wall separating two chambers of the heart. Sometimes an increase in thickness can occur as part of a genetic disease like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in which heart muscle thickens without any extra load to it. Occasionally thickening can occur due to deposition of abnormal material within the heart as in conditions like amyloidosis and storage disorders of fat and carbohydrates.