Cardiomyopathy refers to the diseases of heart muscle. This disease arises from various causes, and has various symptoms, and treatments. In cardiomyopathy, the heart muscle becomes enlarged, thick or rigid. As a result, it becomes less efficient to pump blood through the body and maintain a normal electrical rhythm. This can lead to irregular heart beat (arrhythmia) or may even lead to heart failure. The main types of cardiomyopathy are: dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. Cardiomyopathy either occurs sporadically or can be inherited by birth. It can affect people of all age group. However, people of middle age groups are more likely to have certain types of cardiomyopathy.
Cardiomyopathy simply means a condition in which the muscle that helps your heart to pump blood effectively becomes weak. Although it is a condition that takes time to show its real outcome, it can become life-threatening too. In this article, we discuss everything about this condition with inputs from Dr Arun Mehra, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon attached to Jaslok Hospital and Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai.
‘There are 2 broad groups of cardiomyopathy: Ischemic and non-ischemic,’ explains Dr Arun. ‘Ischemic cardiomyopathy occurs when the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart gets blocked whereas in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy the blood vessels are normal but the heart muscle gets affected due to several other conditions,’ he adds further.
‘Ischemic cardiomyopathy, as explained earlier, may occur due to a block in the blood vessels caused due to conditions like coronary artery disease. Some types of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy include:
‘Some people with the condition may not show symptoms at all. But largely the most common symptom of cardiomyopathy is breathlessness due to any form of exertion.
In the early stages of ischemic cardiomyopathy, the patient may experience chest pain. As the condition progresses, swelling in the feet and fluid buildup in the tissues (edema) are seen.
There are various tests that can diagnose cardiomyopathy. Common tests include:
There are various tests that can diagnose cardiomyopathy. Common tests include:
‘If the heart muscle becomes too weak then it can definitely cause heart failure. But it does not lead to heart attack. It is the other way around. Ischemic cardiomyopathy is often the end result of one or more heart attacks,’ explains Dr Arun. Heart attacks can cause severe damage to the heart muscle and result in the formation of a scar tissue.
In other forms, the progression of damage to the heart muscle is gradual. But in case of idiopathic cardiomyopathy, the person can develop abnormal heart beats (arrhythmias) which then may lead to sudden cardiac death.
‘It depends on the type of cardiomyopathy. Idiopathic cardiomyopathy cannot be prevented’ says Dr Arun. Changes in lifestyle can prevent or lower the risk of conditions that can lead to cardiomyopathy. Identifying the underlying disease at an early stage can also help in preventing the progression of the disease.
‘Ischemic cardiomyopahty can be prevented if the metabolic disease is diagnosed at an early stage. Post partum cardiomyopathy can be prevented with proper treatment while inherited cardiomyopathy can be prevented by advanced procedures like DNA mapping, which can help you identify whether or not your child will develop the condition in his lifetime,’ says Dr Arun.
The content has been verified by Dr Arun Mehra, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon attached to Jaslok Hospital and Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai.
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