Introduction

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'

Diagnosing cardiomyopathy

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.

Treating cardiomyopathy

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.

Lifestyle changes

If the causeof your cardiomyopathy isn't genetic, it should generally help to:

• follow a healthy diet and take gentle exercise
• quit smoking (if you smoke)
• lose weight (if you're overweight)
• avoid or reduce your intake of alcohol
• get plentyof sleep
• manage stress
• make sure any underlying condition, such as diabetes, is well controlled

Medication

Medication may be needed to control blood pressure, correct an abnormal heart rhythm, remove excess fluid or prevent blood clots.

Read about:

• medication for high blood pressure
• beta-blockers to treat an irregular heartbeat or heart failure
• diuretics to remove excess fluid from your body if this has caused swelling
• anticoagulants such as warfarin to prevent blood clots
• medication to treat heart failure

Hospital procedures

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:

• an injection of alcohol into their heart this is to reduce part of the muscle in the septum
• a septal myectomy heart surgery to remove part of the thickened septum(themitral valve may be repaired at the same time, if necessary)

Those with heart rhythm problems may need to have a pacemaker,or a similar device, implanted to control their abnormal heart rhythm.