Any chronic disorder affecting the muscle of the heart. May be associated with alcoholism and vitamin B3 deficiency.
A defect of the heart muscle.
A type of disease affecting the heart muscle, sometimes caused by alcoholism.
Structural or functional disease of the heart muscle (the myocardium).
A condition in which the heart muscle has been damaged.
General term referring to primary disease of the muscle of the heart (myocardium). Causes range from congenital factors to viral infection to coronary artery disease.
Disease of the heart muscle or myocardium.
A type of heart disease in which the heart muscle is abnormally enlarged, thickened, or stiffened, reducing its ability to pump effectively. The word cardiomyopathy combines three Greek roots meaning heart (cardio-) muscle (myo) disease (-pathy).
Any chronic disorder affecting the muscle of the heart. It may be inherited but can be caused by various conditions, including virus infections, alcoholism, beriberi (vitamin B deficiency), and amyloidosis. The cause is often unknown. It may result in enlargement of the heart, ‘heart failure, arrhythmias, and embolism. There is often no specific treatment but patients improve following the control of heart failure and arrhythmias.
Any chronic disorder affecting the muscle of the heart. It may be inherited but can be caused by various conditions, including virus infections, alcoholism, beriberi (vitamin B deficiency), and amyloidosis. The cause is often unknown. It may result in enlargement of the heart, ‘heart failure, arrhythmias, and embolism. There is often no specific treatment but patients improve following the control of heart failure and arrhythmias.
Any disease that affects the heart muscle, diminishing cardiac performance.
Cardiomyopathies refer to any condition affecting the heart muscle that diminishes the strength of cardiac contractions, consequently impairing the efficiency of blood circulation. These conditions can arise from various factors, including infectious, metabolic, nutritional, toxic, autoimmune, or degenerative disorders. However, in numerous cases, the precise cause remains unidentified.
There are three primary types of cardiomyopathy: hypertrophic, dilated, and restrictive cardiomyopathy.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is characterized by an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle. Typically, this condition has a hereditary component.
Dilated cardiomyopathy, frequently of unknown origin, involves an abnormal metabolism of the heart muscle cells, leading to the expansion of the heart’s walls under pressure, resembling a ballooning effect.
Restrictive cardiomyopathy is characterized by abnormally rigid heart walls, resulting in inadequate filling of the heart with blood. This condition is frequently caused by scarring of the endocardium, the inner lining of the heart, or by the infiltration of a starch-like substance called amyloidosis into the muscle.
Cardiomyopathy is accompanied by various symptoms, including fatigue, palpitations, and chest pain. Palpitations can be attributed to irregular heart rhythms, such as atrial fibrillation, which involves rapid and uncoordinated contractions of the upper chambers of the heart.
Cardiomyopathy can progress to heart failure, characterized by a diminished pumping capacity of the heart. Symptoms of heart failure encompass breathing difficulties and the accumulation of abnormal fluid in body tissues, known as edema.
A chest X-ray can detect heart enlargement, while echocardiography, which employs ultrasound imaging, can reveal thickening of the heart muscle. In some cases, a biopsy involving the removal of a small tissue sample from the heart muscle may be performed for microscopic analysis, thereby identifying any abnormalities in the muscle cells.