What are the causes and symptoms of congestive cardiomyopathy?
by MedExpert var html_compressed = ‘ on November 2nd, 2007 ‘; document.write(html_compressed); Congestive cardiomyopathy may be caused by a number of conditions. Cardiomyopathy with a known cause is called secondary cardiomyopathy. When no cause can be identified, it is called primary cardiomyopathy or idiopathic cardiomyopathy. About 80% of all cases of cardiomyopathy do not have a known cause. Many heart specialists think that many cases of idiopathic congestive cardiomyopathy may be caused by a viral infection. Because cardiomyopathy may occur many years after a viral infection and viruses sometimes go undetected in laboratory tests, it is difficult to know if a virus is the cause. Some people have a weak heart from advanced coronary artery disease that causes heart muscle damage. This is sometimes called ischemic cardiomyopathy. Conditions that can cause congestive cardiomyopathy are: • coronary artery disease • infections • noninfectious inflammatory conditions • alcohol and other