Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle. There are sometimes no signs and or symptoms of the disease. Other times you can have symptoms such as shortness of breath, trouble breathing, fatigue, and swelling of feet, ankles, legs, abdomen, and veins of the neck. Some types of Cardiomyopathy are Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive Cardiomyopathy, and Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia. The cause for most kinds is unknown. They can either be inherited or caused by another disease. Symptoms can be nonexistent or very severe and have serious complications.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy is inherited by a third of the people who have it. The other two-thirds have cardiomyopathy caused by Coronary heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, Hepatitis, or HIV. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is mostly inherited caused by a change in the gene for making heart proteins or caused by having high blood pressure over a long period. Restrictive cardiomyopathy is caused by having too much iron in the blood. As for Arrhythmogenic, not a lot is known about this type of cardiomyopathy all that is known is that it is thought to be inherited.
The diagnostic test that are needed to diagnose this disease would include blood testing, chest x-rays, an EKG, heart monitors, echocardiography, and stress test. Cardiac cath, coronary angiography, genetic test, and myocardial biopsy. Treatments for cardiomyopathy can include lifestyle changes, medication, and surgery to help manage or reduce the pain caused by cardiomyopathy.
The Nation Heart Lung and blood institute
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cm/
