Cardiomyopathy: Diseases of the Heart Muscle

What it is

Cardiomyopathy is the name for diseases of the heart muscle. They make the muscle larger, or thicker and stiffer than normal. In rare cases, scar tissue replaces muscle.

How it affects people

• Some people live long, healthy lives with it; some never know they have it.
• In others, it makes the heart less able to pump blood, which can lead to serious complications:
• • heart failure;
  • abnormal heart rhythms;
  • heart valve problems;
  • sudden cardiac arrest.

Causes

• heart attacks, high blood pressure, infections and other diseases;
• some types run in families.

In many people, the cause is unknown.

Treatment

Treatment may include medicines, surgery, other medical procedures, and lifestyle changes.

Sources

Based on the MedlinePlus health topic "Cardiomyopathy," National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; a work of the United States government in the public domain.