What Is Cardiomyopathy?
Cardiomyopathy is a disease that weakens and enlarges your heart muscle.
Cardiomyopathy makes it harder for your heart to pump blood and deliver
it to the rest of your body which can lead to
heart failure.
Types of Cardiomyopathy
Dilated
In this disorder, the pumping ability of your heart's main pumping
chamber - the left ventricle - becomes less forceful. The left ventricle
becomes enlarged (dilated) and can't effectively pump blood out of
the heart.
Hypertrophic
This type of cardiomyopathy involves abnormal growth or thickening of your
heart muscle, particularly affecting the muscle of your heart's main
pumping chamber. As thickening occurs, the heart tends to stiffen and
the size of the pumping chamber may shrink, interfering with your heart's
ability to deliver blood to your body.
Restrictive
The heart muscle in people with restrictive cardiomyopathy becomes rigid
and less elastic, meaning the heart can't properly expand and fill
with blood between heartbeats.
Symptoms
Some people who develop cardiomyopathy have no signs and symptoms during
the early stages of the disease. But as the condition advances, signs
and symptoms usually appear. Cardiomyopathy symptoms may include:
- Bloating of the abdomen due to fluid buildup
- Breathlessness
- Dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting
- Fatigue
- Irregular heartbeats that feel rapid
- Swelling of the legs, ankles and feet
Causes and Risk Factors
Most of the time, the cause of the cardiomyopathy is unknown. In some people,
however, doctors are able to identify some contributing factors. Possible
causes of cardiomyopathy include:
- Abuses of cocaine or antidepressant medication
- Chemotherapy drugs
- Chronic rapid heart rate
- Certain viral infections
- Excessive use of alcohol
- Genetic condition
- Heart valve problems
- Heart tissue damage
- High blood pressure
- Iron buildup in your heart muscle
- Nutritional deficiencies of essential vitamins
- Metabolic disorders such as thyroid disease or diabetes
Diagnosis
Your doctor will conduct a physical examination, take a personal and family
medical history, and ask when your symptoms occur. If your doctor thinks
you have cardiomyopathy, you may need to undergo several tests to confirm
the diagnosis. These tests may include:
Treatment
The overall goals of treatment for cardiomyopathy are to manage your signs
and symptoms, prevent your condition from worsening, and reduce your risk
of complications. Treatment varies by which of the major types of cardiomyopathy
you have. Surgical treatment may include:
- Ablation
- Heart Transplant
- Pacemaker and Defibrillator
Prevention
In many cases, you can not prevent cardiomyopathy. Let your doctor know
if you have a family history of the condition. If cardiomyopathy is diagnosed
early, treatments may prevent the disease from worsening.
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Gina Simpson, Heart Disease