Cardiomyopathy Causes and Risk Factors

What causes cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy can be

inherited

inherited

(in-HAYR-ih-ted):

The passing of genetic information from a parent to a child through genes.

, acquired, or

congenital

congenital

(kun-JEH-nih-tul):

Present at birth, such as a condition, physical trait, or disease. It may be genetic or not genetic in cause.

.

• Inherited means that your parents passed the

gene

gene

(jeen):

The unit that passes heredity from parents to children. Genes are pieces of DNA and contain information for making a specific protein.

for the disease on to you. Gene

mutations

mutation

(myoo-TAY-shun):

Any change in a nucleic acid sequence, such as DNA or RNA.

can cause your heart not to develop properly. Mutations are changes in the genes that control how your heart is formed. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy are often inherited.

• Acquired means that you weren't born with the disease, but you developed it due to another disease or condition. Conditions that damage your heart can lead to acquired cardiomyopathy.
• Congenital means that** **your condition was present at birth. You may have cardiomyopathy at birth, or it can result from a congenital heart defect. Congenital cardiomyopathy may result from health conditions of the mother or the developing baby that are not inherited.

Cardiomyopathy may also be a

symptoms

symptom

(SIMP-tum):

A problem that a patient experiences that may indicate disease but cannot be seen and does not show up on medical tests or procedures; some examples include headache, fatigue, nausea, or pain.

of another condition. Many times, the cause is not known.

What raises the risk of cardiomyopathy?

People of any age, race, or ethnicity can have cardiomyopathy. Sometimes, lifestyle habits or other medical conditions raise your risk of cardiomyopathy. You can reduce risks by controlling lifestyle risks.

Lifestyle risk factors

You can take steps to lower your risk of cardiomyopathy:

• Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink. Heavy drinking is linked with cardiomyopathy.For women, heavy drinking is defined as more than seven alcoholic drinks per week. For men, heavy drinking is defined as more than 14 drinks per week. Even moderate use of alcohol for more than 10 years is linked with cardiomyopathy. (Moderate use means no more than two drinks a day for men and no more than one drink a day for women.) Drinking less is better for health than drinking more. Learn more about the health effects of drinking alcohol. Visit the website of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
• Avoid cocaine, amphetamines, or anabolic-androgenic steroids unless prescribed by your provider. Some substances can damage the heart muscle. This damage increases the risk of cardiomyopathy and cardiac arrest. There is some evidence that marijuana can raise your risk for takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
• Minimize very stressful situations. You can’t avoid all sources of stress in your life, but you may be able to lower your stress level with counseling or support from loved ones. Extreme stress can raise your risk of takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also called broken heart

syndrome

syndrome

(SIN-drome):

Signs, symptoms, or conditions that suggest a specific disease when they occur together.

, especially if you have other risk factors.

• Keep up to date on vaccines. Infections raise the risk of septic cardiomyopathy and other heart injuries that cause heart damage.

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Risk factors you can’t control

• Age: Some types of cardiomyopathy are more common in certain age groups.Septic cardiomyopathy is more common in newborns.
• Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is more common in teens and young adults.
• Dilated cardiomyopathy is more common in adults between 20 and 60 years old.
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is more common in people in their 30s.
• Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is more common in women after menopause.
• Family history of cardiomyopathy or other heart conditions
• Race:Black people have a risk of dilated cardiomyopathy that’s nearly three times higher than that of White people.
• Chemotherapy or radiation treatment for

cancer

cancer

(KAN-ser):

Diseases in which cells divide more than they should. Cancer cells can spread to nearby tissues or to other parts of the body through the blood or other systems. Also known as malignancy. !!

• Other medical conditions:Pregnancy
• Diseases that affect how well your muscles work, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• Diseases that cause substances to build up in your heart, such as sarcoidosis or amyloidosis
• Heart inflammation
• Infections, such as viral hepatitis, HIV, and COVID-19
• Obesity, diabetes, or other problems with your

metabolic

metabolic

(meh-ta-BAL-lik):

Chemical changes that occur in living cells or organisms. These changes make energy to fuel important life functions.

system

Sepsis

Sepsis

(SEP-sis):

A serious illness that results when the body has an overwhelming immune response to a bacterial infection. This response triggers the release of chemicals into the blood stream, which triggers inflammation to fight infection. The inflammation can damage organs and their systems.

, a life-threatening condition that results when the body’s response to infection injures its own tissues

• Thyroid disease and other problems with your

hormone

hormone

(HOR-moan):

Substance made in glands throughout the body. Hormones are released into the blood to travel throughout the body to control other body functions.

levels

Can you prevent cardiomyopathy?

You may be able to prevent acquired cardiomyopathy or help lower your risk of problems.

• Make heart-healthy lifestyle changes. These changes include choosing heart-healthy foods, being physically active, aiming for a healthy weight, quitting smoking, getting quality sleep, and managing stress. Also, avoid drinking too much alcohol and using substances such as cocaine.
• Get treatment for medical conditions that can cause cardiomyopathy or make your condition worse.
• Prevent infections by keeping up to date on vaccinations.
• Reduce sources of stress in your life. Learn about ways to cope with stress.

There is no way to prevent inherited cardiomyopathy. However, you can take steps to keep it from getting worse and lower your risk of serious health problems. Working with a

genetic

genetic

(jeh-NEH-tik):

Having to do with genes. Most genes are sequences of DNA that contain information for making specific proteins or molecules of RNA that perform important functions in a cell. The information in genes is passed from parents to children.

counselor can give you information about the risk of your children inheriting a gene for cardiomyopathy.

Good pre-pregnancy and prenatal care can help pregnant women lower the risk that their babies will be born with congenital cardiomyopathy.

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Learn about how and why to make heart health part of your self-care routine.

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