What is Cardiomyopathy?
Cardiomyopathy is a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn’t work as well as it should. There may be multiple causes including viral infections. Cardiomyopathy can be classified as primary or secondary. Primary cardiomyopathy can’t be attributed to a specific cause, such as high blood pressure, heart valve disease, artery diseases or congenital heart defects. Secondary cardiomyopathy is due to specific causes. It’s often associated with diseases involving other organs as well as the heart. There are three main types of cardiomyopathy: dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive. What is dilated (congestive) cardiomyopathy? This is the most common form. In it, the heart cavity is enlarged and stretched (cardiac dilation). The heart is weak and doesn’t pump normally, and most patients develop heart failure. Abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias and disturbances in the heart’s electrical conduction also may occur. Blood flows more slowly through an enlarged hea
Cardiomyopathy (KAR-de-o-mi-OP-a-the) refers to diseases of the heart muscle. These diseases have a variety of causes, symptoms, and treatments. In cardiomyopathy, the heart muscle becomes enlarged or abnormally thick or rigid. In rare cases, the muscle tissue in the heart is replaced with scar tissue. As cardiomyopathy progresses, the heart becomes weaker and less able to pump blood through the body. This can lead to heart failure, arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs; abnormal heart rhythms), fluid buildup in the lungs or legs, and, more rarely, endocarditis (a bacterial infection of the lining of the heart). The weakening of the heart also can lead to other severe complications. The four main types of cardiomyopathy are: • Dilated cardiomyopathy • Hypertrophic (hi-per-TROF-ik) cardiomyopathy • Restrictive cardiomyopathy • Arrhythmogenic (a-rith-mo-JEN-ik) right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) Cardiomyopathy can have a specific cause, such as damage to the heart from a heart attack, high blood p
By Stephanie Trelogan, MS Reviewed by Andy Avins, MD Last updated November 28, 2000 Cardiomyopathy literally means disease of the myocardium, or heart muscle. In this disease, the heart loses its ability to pump blood and beat at a normal rhythm. The condition tends to start off mild and then worsens fairly quickly. In the most severe cases, cardiomyopathy can lead to congestive heart failure.
There are several types of cardiomyopathy, all affecting the myocardium or muscle tissue of the heart. Damage prevents the heart from functioning normally, or the walls of the tissue thickens or hardens, causing the heart to resist filling to capacity. Cardiomyopathy progresses in most cases, and is one of the main diseases requiring heart transplant. The different forms are all relatively rare with about a tenth of a percent occurrence in the general population. One form of cardiomyopathy is called ischemic because the cause is repeated heart attacks or strokes. Non-ischemic cardiomyopathy includes three main types where the cause may not always be clear. These are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, and restricted cardiomyopathy. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) is a fourth rare type of genetic origin. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common form, causing enlargement of both of the heart’s ventricles, or pumping chambers. The enlargement weakens th
