Cardiomyopathy - What Should You Know?

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it difficult for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body. Cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure.

Types -

• Dilated: Heart muscle become weak and subsequently dilate which impair the pumping capacity. It can occur at any age but commonly in middle age and in men. Most common cause is heart attack.

• Hypertrophic: Heart muscle thickened specially muscle of main pumping chamber. Disease is more severe if present from childhood. Family involvement common.
   
• Restrictive cardiomyopathy: Heart muscle become stiff, loose elasticity and faces problem of filling and relaxation. Common in old age.

Symptoms -

Patient might be completely asymptomatic in early stages. But as the condition advances, signs and symptoms usually appear, including - Breathlessness with exertion or even at rest, swelling of the legs, ankles and feet , bloating of the abdomen due to fluid buildup, cough while lying down, fatigue, heart beats that feel rapid, pounding or fluttering, chest discomfort or pressure, dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting

Signs and symptoms tend to get worse unless treated. In some people, the condition worsens quickly; in others, it might not worsen for a long time.

Causes

Many times its unknown but in some people, however, it's the result of another condition (acquired) or passed on from a parent (inherited).

Contributing factors include:

• Long-term high blood pressure
• Heart tissue damage from a heart attack Chronic heart rate abnormality ( arrhythmias ) Heart valve problems
• Metabolic disorders, such as obesity, thyroid disease or diabetes Nutritional deficiencies of essential vitamins or minerals Pregnancy complications
• Use of excessive alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines or an anabolic steroids Side effect of certain chemo drugs and radiation
• Certain infections mainly viral infection.
• Excessive iron deposits in the heart (hemochromatosis)
• Systemic disorder: sarcoidosis, amyloidosis and many other diseases of joint and muscle.

Treatment —

• Medications: to support and control heart failure
• Surgically implanted devices: to manage arrhythmias ( heart best abnormality or current disturbance in heart ) and improve pumping of heart like CRTD or L VAD Heart transplant — when medication failed

Treatment also depends on which type of cardiomyopathy you have and how serious it is.