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Cardiomyopathy refers to diseases of the heart muscle and have a variety of causes, symptoms and treatments. In cardiomyopathy, the heart muscle becomes enlarged or abnormally thick or rigid. In rare cases, the muscle tissue in the heart is replaced with scar tissue. As cardiomyopathy progresses, the heart becomes weaker and less efficient at pumping blood throughout the body. This can lead to heart failure, arrhythmias, fluid buildup in the lungs or legs, and occasionally endocarditis.
The four main types of cardiomyopathy are:
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy
- Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD)
Symptoms
As cardiomyopathy progresses and the heart weakens, symptoms of heart failure usually appear:
- Tiredness
- Weakness
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling of the abdomen, legs, ankles and feet
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting during exercise, arrhythmias and heart murmur.
Diagnosis
To diagnose cardiomyopathy, your physician will conduct a physical exam, ask about your symptoms, and solicit information about your risk factors such as family history of coronary artery disease (CAD) or other heart disease. Your physician may order or perform one or more of the following assessments:
Treatment
Specific treatment depends on the type of cardiomyopathy, the severity of symptoms and complications, and the age and overall health of the patient. Treatments may include medication therapy, surgery (septal myectomy, surgically implanted devices, heart transplantation) and non-surgical procedures (alcohol septal ablation).
The Heart and Vascular Center at Providence offers a variety of resources to diagnose and treat patients with cardiomyopathy:
Physicians
Need current list of relevant physicians.
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