Cardiomyopathy by Nicole Deckard

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle. There are some times no signs and or symptoms of the disease. Other times you can have symptoms such as shortness of breath, trouble breathing, fatique, 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 complication.


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 of time. Restrictive cardiomyopathy is cause by having to much iron in the blood. As for Arrhymogenic, not a lot is know about this type of cardiomyopathy all that is really known is that it is thought to be inherited.

The diagnostic test that is needed to diagnose this disease would include blood testing, chest x-rays, an EKG, heart monitors, echocardiography, 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/