What is Cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy is a heart condition that affects the heart muscle, making it harder for your heart to pump blood. When your heart muscle becomes thick, stretched, or rigid, it makes it harder for the heart to pump enough blood for the body. Even though symptoms don’t appear right away, it can lead to serious complications and other cardiovascular diseases like heart failure, arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest if left untreated. That’s why understanding cardiomyopathy is important to recognizing early signs and protecting yourself and others.

Types of Cardiomyopathy:

• Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Most common type, heart chambers are enlarged or weakened

• Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Heart muscle becomes too thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood

• Restrictive Cardiomyopathy: Heart muscle becomes rigid, making it harder to expand and fill it with blood

• Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC): Heart muscle tissue in the right ventricle becomes scar tissue and fat, interfering with electrical signals

• Unclassified cardiomyopathies: Doesn’t fall under the 4 types of cardiomyopathies above

Causes of Cardiomyopathy:

• Genetics: 

• High Blood Pressure/Hypertension

• Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)/Heart Attacks

• Myocarditis (Infected heart muscle)

• Obesity or Diabetes

• Excessive consumption of substances and alcohol

Symptoms of Cardiomyopathy:

• Shortness of breath when exercising or lying down

• Swelling of legs, ankles, and feet

• Heart palpitations or fast heart rate

• Dizziness/Fatigue

Cardiomyopathy is considered a group of conditions that weaken the heart’s ability to pump blood through the body. It is important to check with your doctors to prevent any further damage to the heart as early diagnosis and proper treatments will allow people to thrive with cardiomyopathy.