Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a condition where the walls of the heart muscles have become overstretched, thickened and/or stiff causing the heart to become less efficient in pumping blood out of the heart to around the body.

• It cannot be cured and can worsen in time , however it can be controlled, through a good diet and lifestyle as well as a monitored exercise programme.
• Symptoms can develop slowly (one may not notice symptoms , while for others it can develop quickly.

There are various forms:

Dilated Cardiomyopathy

• Heart muscles wall become thin and the chamber in the heart enlarges (enlarged heart), it mainly affects the bottom chamber of the heart – left ventricle.
• The heart is to weak to pump the blood around the body.
• The heart becomes less efficient in pumping blood at the right pressure.
• This condition can lead to heart failure.

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy

• Drinking too much alcohol over a long period of time, which can weaken your heart so it can no longer pump blood efficiently.
• Heart then becomes enlarged.
• This is a form of dilated cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

• The heart muscles cells enlarge causing the walls of the muscles to thicken and the chamber in the heart becomes smaller.
• It mainly affects the bottom chamber of the heart – left ventricle.
• The heart becomes less efficient in pumping blood because it can’t hold much blood, the walls can’t relax and stiffen.
• The flow of the blood through the heart is also restricted and can cause a back pressure in the chamber.
• This condition can lead to worsening heart failure and lead to arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation).
• This condition can also put pressure on the heart valves which control the direction of the blood flow in the heart leading to heart valve disease.
• This condition affect children and athletes because it does not always show symptoms.

Ischemic cardiomyopathy

• Heart can no longer pump blood to the rest of your body due to coronary artery disease.
• Blood vessels to the heart muscle narrow and become blocked.
• The heart muscle do not get enough oxygen and cannot work as efficiently and can weaken and loose function.
• Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a common cause of heart failure.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD)

• An inherited condition where the fat and extra fibrous tissue replace the heart muscles of the right bottom chamber of the heart (right ventricle).
• As a result the heart can’t pump the blood around the heart efficiently because this inherited tissue does not pump blood efficiently like the walls of heat muscles, it does not has the same strength or elastic properties.
• This can lead to abnormal heart arrhythmias.
• It is common in young athletes.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy

• The walls of the main heart chambers become stiff and rigid and cannot relax properly after contracting.
• This means the heart cannot fill up properly with blood and the heart can’t pump enough blood around the body efficiently and it can lead to heart failure.
• Rare condition.
• It’s most often diagnosed in children, although it can develop at any age.
• Prolonged exercise can make symptoms worse.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or acute stress cardiomyopathy (Broken heart syndrome)

• Where one goes through significant emotional and/or physical stress causing a temporary heart problem
• Heart muscles (the left bottom chamber of the heart- left ventricle) become suddenly weakened and changes shape causing the heart to not pump the blood efficiently.
• Symptoms are similar to an Heart attack
• Believed to because by a surge of hormones particularly adrenaline.
• Common in women.
• It’s temporary and reversible. It’s unusual for it to happen again.

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

• When the heart weakens within five months of delivery or within the final month of pregnancy.
• When it occurs after delivery, it’s sometimes called postpartum cardiomyopathy.
• This is a form of dilated cardiomyopathy, and it’s a life-threatening condition.
• Rare condition and is of unknown cause.

Spongiform cardiomyopathy

• Abnormal development of a child heart muscle in the womb.