Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle.
'cardio' meaning heart, 'myo' meaning muscle and 'pathy' meaning disease.

3 types

1.Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).( most common )
2.Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)./hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy
3.Restrictive cardiomyopathy.

Dilated cardiomyopathy
In dilated cardiomyopathy one or more of the heart chambers become enlarged (dilated). The muscular walls of the heart become stretched. This causes the heart to become larger and the heart muscle weaker. The ability of the heart chambers to pump blood is diminished and less forceful.

Signs and Symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy
Some people do not experience any symptoms until their cardiomyopathy is well advanced. Usual signs and symptoms include tiredness, shortness of breath, swollen ankles and abdomen, heart palpitations and dizziness and fainting

Causes of dilated cardiomyopathyIdiopathic
· Follow a viral or other infection of the heart
· Heart tissue damage from a previous heart attack
· High blood pressure
· Heart valve problems
· Chronic rapid heart rate
· Pregnancy
· Drug and alcohol abuse
· Metabolic disorders, such as thyroid disease or diabetes
· Vitamins and minerals deficiencies, such as thiamin (vitamin B-1), selenium, calcium and magnesium
· Use of some chemotherapeutic drugs to treat cancer
· Hemochromatosis

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
20 and 40 years of age.
muscular walls of the heart become thickened. This prevents the heart from filling up with blood properly and blocks the blood from being pumped from the heart.
About half of the people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy have a family history of the disease.

Signs and symptoms
Shortness of breath, chest pains and palpitations. often faint,sudden death

Restrictive cardiomyopathy
rare form.
It is caused by a stiffening of the heart muscles so that it is less elastic. This interferes with the hearts ability to expand and fill the ventricles with blood. more common in older people.
Causes are mostly unknown
-result from abnormal proteins or cell products being deposited in the heart (amyloidosis , or due to scarring (fibrosis) of the heart muscle and occurs for no apparent reason.
.
Treatment of cardiomyopathy
Diagnosis of cardiomyopathy is made by a physical examination from a doctor, an electrocardiogram, chest x-ray and echocardiogram. Treatment needs to be started to manage the symptoms, prevent progression of the illness and reduce the risk of complication.
Medications such as ACE inhibitors,statins, diuretics and beta blockers can help the heart work better.
Heart pacemakers are used for some people to coordinate the contractions between the left and right ventricle (biventricular pacing). Sometimes a device called a implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is used to monitor the heart beat and deliver a precise shock to the heart when required.
In advanced cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a surgeon may remove a portion of the thickened muscle wall (called septal myotomy-myectomy) to improve or restore a normal blood flow.