Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy is a general term for diseases of the heart muscle, where the walls of the heart chambers have become stretched, thickened or stiff. This affects the heart's ability to pump blood around the body.
Some types of cardiomyopathy are inherited and areseen in children and younger people.
The main types of cardiomyopathy include:
Acute stress cardiomyopathy
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
restrictive cardiomyopathy
arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
takotsubo cardiomyopathy or 'broken heart syndrome'
Some cases of cardiomyopathy can be diagnosed after various heart scans and tests, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) and an echocardiogram .
Cardiomyopathy that runs in the family can be diagnosed after a genetic test.If you've been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, you may be advised to have a genetic test to identify the mutation (faulty gene) thatcaused this.
Your relatives can then be tested for the same mutation and,if they have it, their condition can be monitored and managed early.
There's no cure for cardiomyopathy,but the treatments described below are usually effective at controlling symptoms and preventing complications.
Not everyone with cardiomyopathy will need treatment. Some people only have a mild form of the diseasethatthey can control after making a few lifestyle changes.
If the causeof your cardiomyopathy isn't genetic, it should generally help to:
Medication may be needed to control blood pressure, correct an abnormal heart rhythm, remove excess fluid or prevent blood clots.
Read about:
In some people with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the septum (the wall dividing the left and right side of the heart) is thickened and bulges into the main heart chamber. They may need to have either:
Those with heart rhythm problems may need to have a pacemaker,or a similar device, implanted to control their abnormal heart rhythm.
The main types of cardiomyopathy include: acute stress cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy.
Cardiomyopathy is a general term for diseases of the heart muscle, where the walls of the heart chambers have become stretched, thickened or stiff