Cardiomyopathy

Definition:

Cardiomyopathy is a disease that weakens and enlarges your heart muscle. There are three main types of cardiomyopathy (dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive) all of which affect your heart muscle.  Cardiomyopathy makes it harder for your heart to pump blood and deliver it to the rest of your body.  There are many causes of cardiomyopathy, including coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease.  Cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure.

Prevention:

In most cases you can’t prevent cardiomyopathy. Let your doctor know if you have a family history of the condition. If cardiomyopathy is diagnosed early, treatments may prevent the disease from worsening.  You can help reduce your chance of heart failure by avoiding some of the conditions that can contribute to a weak heart, including the abuse of alcohol or cocaine, or not getting enough vitamins and minerals. Controlling high blood pressure with diet and exercise also prevents many people from developing heart failure later in life.

 

Treatment:

  • Medications
    • Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
    • Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)
    • Beta blockers
    • Diuretics