Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a condition in which heart muscle becomes thickened affecting its function. Causes of HCM include genetic defects. Researchers are still learning why some people with genetic changes develop the disease and others don’t. Younger people are likely to have a more severe form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Read more: What Causes Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy? Article
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Cardiomyopathy (Hypertrophic)
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects many people today. Many people with HCM have no symptoms or only minor symptoms, and live a normal life. Other people develop symptoms, which progress and worsen as heart function worsens.
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Cardiomyopathy (Dilated)
Dilated Cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart's ability to pump blood is decreased because the heart's main pumping chamber is enlarged and weakened. Symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy include chest pain, heart failure, swelling of the lower extremities, fatigue, weight gain, fainting, palpitations, dizziness and blood clots.
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How Is Right Heart Catheterization Done?
Catheterization is the process where doctors use a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to look at the heart. Right heart catheterization is performed by going into a vein.
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How Serious Is Dilated Cardiomyopathy?
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a serious condition because it increases the chances of life-threatening conditions, such as heart failure, irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias), and blood clots. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common type of cardiomyopathy. In this condition, the walls of the heart become thin and the heart gets larger.
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Cardiomyopathy (Restrictive)
Restrictive cardiomyopathy, the rarest form of cardiomyopathy, is a condition in which the walls of the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) are abnormally rigid and lack the flexibility to expand as the ventricles fill with blood. The pumping or systolic function of the ventricle may be normal but the diastolic function (the ability of the heart to fill with blood) is abnormal. Therefore, it is harder for the ventricles to fill with blood, and with time, the heart loses the ability to pump blood properly, leading to heart failure.
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