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Cardiomyopathy

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Cardiomyopathy is the deterioration of the cardiac muscle of the heart wall.

It has a number of causes including drug and alcohol toxicity, certain infections, and various genetic and idiopathic (i.e. unknown) causes. It can lead to heart failure as the pumping efficiency of the heart is diminished.

There are four main types of cardiomyopathy:

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the commonest form of cardiomyopathy, and the leading indication for heart transplantation. Approximately 40% of cases are familial, but the genetics are poorly understood compared with HCM. In DCM the heart (especially the left ventricle) is enlarged and weakened.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disorder caused by various mutations in 10 genes encoding sarcomeric proteins. However, these mutations only partially account for the variability in left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and other phenotypic features of the disease. It has been suggested that in patients with HCM, the final phenotype, including LVH, is the product of the causal mutation in genes encoding sarcomeric proteins, modifier genes and environmental factors.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) arises from an electrical disturbance of the heart in which heart muscle is replaced by fibrous scar tissue. The right ventricle is generally most affected.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is the least common cardiomyopathy. The walls of the ventricles are stiff, but may not be thickened, and resist the normal filling of the heart with blood.

http://www.cardiomyopathy.org (The Cardiomyopathy Association)