Cardiomyopathy is a medical term for a number of genetic and nongenetic diseases involving the heart muscle that adversely affect the heart's. As a result, the heart muscle's ability to pump blood is less efficient, often causing heart failure and the backup of blood into the lungs or rest of the body. The disease can also cause abnormal heart rhythms.

There are three main types of cardiomyopathy:

•  Dilated cardiomyopathy - Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a medical condition in which the heart's ability to pump blood is lessened because its main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, is enlarged and weakened.

•  Ischemic cardiomyopathy - Restrictive cardiomyopathy is when the walls of the lower chambers of your heart (called the ventricles) are too rigid to expand as they fill with blood.

•  Restrictive cardiomyopathy - Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a type of cardiomyopathy caused by a narrowing of the coronary arteries which supply blood to the heart.

Symptoms of DCM can happen at any age and may include:

•  Shortness of breath

•  Swelling of your legs

•  Fatigue & Weight gain

•  Palpitations

Causes                                                                                    Diagnosis

•  Severe coronary artery disease                                            •  Blood tests                         

•  Thyroid disease & Diabetes                                                 •  A chest X-ray

•  Diabetes                                                                            •  A CT scan

•  Inflammation of arteries                                                       •  An MRI

Medications: To manage heart failure, most people take drugs, such as a:

•  Beta blocker

•  ACE inhibitor or an ARB

•  Diuretic

Best Regards

Rachel Mora

Assistant Managing Editor

Journal of Clinical Radiology and Case Reports