Cardiomyopathy

When Your Heart Breaks … Literally When you think of a broken heart, you may picture a cartoon drawing with a jagged line through it. But a real-life broken heart can lead to cardiac issues. Depression, Breakdown of a Broken Heart Broken heart syndrome, also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or takotsubo cardiomyopathy, can strike even if you’re healthy. (Takotsubo are octopus traps that resemble the pot-like shape of the stricken heart.) Women are more likely than men to experience sudden, intense Broken heart syndrome may be misdiagnosed as a In broken heart syndrome, a part of your heart temporarily enlarges and doesn’t pump well, while the rest of your heart functions normally or with even more forceful contractions. Researchers continue to learn more about the causes, and how to diagnose and treat it. The bad news: Broken heart syndrome can lead to severe, short-term heart muscle failure. The good news: Broken heart syndrome is usually treatable. Most people who experience it make a full recovery within weeks, and they’re at low risk for it happening again (although in rare cases it can be fatal). What To Look For: Signs and Symptoms The most common signs and symptoms of broken heart syndrome are Heart attack and broken heart syndrome: What’s the difference? Some signs and symptoms of broken heart syndrome differ from those of heart attack. In broken heart syndrome, symptoms occur suddenly after extreme emotional or physical stress. Here are some other differences:...

• Healthy Living • • • • • • • • • Health Topics • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Professionals • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • About Us • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Get Involved • • • • • • • • Ways To Give • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • CPR • • • • • • • • • • • Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body. The various types of the disease have many causes, As cardiomyopathy worsens, the heart becomes weaker. The heart becomes less able to pump blood throughout the body and incapable of maintaining a normal electrical rhythm. The result can be Overview The main types of cardiomyopathy are: • • • • • Some other types of cardiomyopathy are called “unclassified cardiomyopathy.” Another type is “stress-induced cardiomyopathy,” also known as Cardiomyopathy can be “acquired” when it develops due to another disease, condition or factor. Or cardiomyopathy can be “inherited” when the gene for the disease is passed on from a parent. In many cases, the cause of cardiomyopathy isn’t known. This is often the case Cardiomyopathy affects all ages, although certain age groups are more likely to have certain types of cardiomyopathy. Approaches to treatment Some cases of cardiomyopathy have no signs or symptoms and need no treatment. In other cases, cardiomyopathy develops quickly with severe symptoms, and serious complications occur. Treatment is required in these instances....

Dilated cardiomyopathy causes unusual tissue thinning and expansion in your heart’s main pumping chamber. It may be due to genetics or heart attack damage, but the cause is often unknown. In advanced stages, this condition can lead to complications that include heart failure or other cardiovascular issues. Overview What is dilated cardiomyopathy? Dilated cardiomyopathy occurs when your heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle) becomes enlarged. In severe cases, it affects additional areas of your heart. How can dilated cardiomyopathy affect my well-being? When your left ventricle becomes enlarged, tissue thins, causing it to pump with less force. After each beat, more blood remains in your heart. This makes it increasingly difficult to keep up with your body’s needs. In advanced stages, dilated cardiomyopathy can lead to What other complications are associated with dilated cardiomyopathy? Additional complications may include: • Abnormal heart rhythms ( • • • • • • Symptoms and Causes What causes dilated cardiomyopathy? In many cases, the cause is unknown. Sometimes, the condition runs in families (familial dilated cardiomyopathy). When healthcare providers can pinpoint a cause, it may be: • • Certain chemotherapy drugs that are toxic to your heart ( • Complications in the late stages of pregnancy or shortly after childbirth. • • • Heart attack. • Heart valve disease. • Infection, such as • Recreational drugs, like cocaine. • • Unmanaged • • • What are dilated cardiomyo...

Broken heart syndrome, also known as stress cardiomyopathy or takotsubo syndrome, occurs when a person experiences sudden acute stress that can rapidly weaken the heart muscle. What is broken heart syndrome? Broken heart syndrome is a condition that can cause rapid and reversive heart muscle weakness, also known as stress cardiomyopathy. What causes broken heart syndrome? Two kinds of stress — emotional or physical — often cause broken heart syndrome. But while most people with this condition experience a stressful event, up to 30% of patients have no identifiable trigger at the time of their initial symptoms. Emotional Stressors Emotional stressors include: • Grief • Fear • Extreme anger • Surprise Physical Stressors These conditions include: • High fever • • • Difficulty breathing (such as an • Significant bleeding • What are the symptoms of broken heart syndrome? The symptoms of broken heart syndrome can mimic symptoms of a • • • Diaphoresis (sweating) • Dizziness These symptoms may begin as soon as minutes or as long as hours after an emotionally or physically stressful event. How does sudden stress lead to heart muscle weakness? When you experience a stressful event, your body produces hormones and proteins such as adrenaline and noradrenaline that are meant to help cope with the stress. The heart muscle can be overwhelmed by a massive amount of adrenaline that is suddenly produced in response to stress. Excess adrenaline can cause narrowing of the small arteries that...

Cardiomyopathy refers to conditions that affect your heart muscle. If you have cardiomyopathy, your heart can’t efficiently pump blood to the rest of your body. As a result, you may experience fatigue, shortness of breath or heart palpitations. Cardiomyopathy gets worse over time. Treatment can slow the progression and improve your quality of life. Overview A heart with cardiomyopathy gets larger and weaker and can end up in heart failure. What is cardiomyopathy? Cardiomyopathy is a disease that affects your myocardium (heart muscle). Cardiomyopathy can make your heart stiffen, enlarge or thicken and can cause scar tissue. As a result, your heart can’t pump blood effectively to the rest of your body. In time, your heart can weaken and cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure. Treatment can help. Some people with cardiomyopathy eventually need a Types of cardiomyopathy Types of cardiomyopathy include: • • • • • y. • • • • • • How common is cardiomyopathy? Cardiomyopathy can affect anyone of any age, sex or race. The most common inherited cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic, affects about 1 in 500 people in the world. Other genetic types occur in 1 in 2,000 or 2,500 people. Symptoms and Causes What are the symptoms? Cardiomyopathy symptoms include: • • • • • • Swelling ( • Some people have no symptoms of cardiomyopathy and don’t need treatment. Others experience symptoms as their disease progresses. What causes cardiomyopathy? Causes of cardiomyopathy include genes you get from you...

Any heart disease in which the heart muscle (myocardium) weakens can be known as cardiomyopathy. This broad term covers many conditions, all of which result in injury to the heart muscle and impaired heart function. Cardiomyopathy often leads to heart failure. In some forms of cardiomyopathy, the weakened heart muscle becomes thinned; in other forms it becomes abnormally thickened. In both cases, the ventricles of the heart have trouble pumping blood as effectively as they should. Blood can stagnate in the heart, making it more likely to form clots. If a clot breaks free and enters the circulation, it can cause a stroke if it lodges in an artery that nourishes the brain, or a pulmonary embolism if it lodges in an artery to the lungs. The beleaguered heart muscle can also become prone to potentially dangerous abnormal heart rhythms. Cardiomyopathy can be caused by: • myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, often due to a viral infection or a chronic inflammatory condition such as lupus. • coronary artery disease, the accumulation of cholesterol-filled plaque in the arteries that nourish the heart. It can weaken the heart muscle by reducing blood flow to much of the heart. • drinking too much alcohol (alcoholic cardiomyopathy) can result from a lifetime of binge drinking or the cumulative effects of daily heavy drinking. • invasion of heart muscle by abnormal cells or other material (restrictive cardiomyopathy). • an inherited condition called hypertrophic cardiomy...

Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is a condition where your heart changes shape because of long-term heavy alcohol use. The changes to your heart’s shape cause long-term damage, leading to heart failure and severe problems. Abstaining from alcohol may help some people recover, but others will need medication or even surgery. Overview Heart muscle stretching from alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy. What is alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy? Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is a condition where consuming too much alcohol damages your heart. This damage happens because parts of your heart stretch and enlarge. That weakens your heart muscle, keeping it from pumping as well as it should. Over time, this means your heart can't pump blood as effectively, which reduces your body's available oxygen supply. Who does it affect? Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy can affect anyone who consumes too much alcohol, even those who don't have alcohol use disorder. However, it’s more likely to happen in people with alcohol use disorders or who have genetic mutations that cause them to process alcohol more slowly. How common is this condition? Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is a relatively uncommon condition, occurring in about 1% to 2% of people who consume more than the recommended amounts of alcohol. Heavy drinking defined The available research shows that if you limit your alcohol intake to a certain amount, you’re less likely to develop alcohol-related health problems, including alcohol-induced cardiomy...