Some Basic Facts About Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy literally translates as “heart weakness.” Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common form of the disease, affecting five to 10 people per 100,000, according to Kenneth Baughman, director of the division of cardiology at Johns Hopkins University. Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy have enlarged hearts with thin muscle walls, which result in reduced heart function.

Cardiomyopathy may lead to congestive heart failure, in which the heart is unable to pump blood with sufficient power. As a result, blood backs up into vital organs, causing swelling. Patients become weak, easily fatigued and may develop difficulty breathing after the lungs are affected.

Cardiomyopathy also may lead to heart arrhythmias, which account for half of all deaths in patients with the illness, according to Baughman.

Several classes of medications, including ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, digoxin and diuretics, alleviate symptoms of the disease. Arrhythmias are sometimes treated with a nonsurgical procedure called ablation. For severely ill patients, heart transplants are sometimes the only recourse. And they are hardly a guarantee of long life: 85% to 90% of heart-transplant recipients are expected to survive the first year; only 60% are still alive after five years.