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OVERVIEW

What is cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the muscles in the heart. It causes your heart muscles to become enlarged. The extra thickness and stiffness of the muscles can weaken your heart over time. A weak heart cannot pump blood easily. When your heart has difficulty pumping blood, it can cause irregular heartbeat. It can also cause heart valves problems and even heart failure.

People of all ages and races can have cardiomyopathy.

SYMPTOMS

What are the symptoms of cardiomyopathy?

Symptoms of cardiomyopathy may be the same as the symptoms of heart failure. These include the following:

• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Coughing
• Trouble breathing, especially while lying down
• Edema (swelling) of the feet, ankles and legs
• Abdominal bloating
• Chest pain
• Dizziness, light-headedness and fainting

CAUSES

What causes cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy can have many causes. It may be caused by:

• coronary artery disease (blocked arteries)
• high blood pressure
• infections
• certain medicines
• diabetes
• thyroid disorders
• alcohol abuse

Rarely, cardiomyopathy can happen during the last trimester of pregnancy or the first few months after having a baby.

DIAGNOSIS & TESTS

How is cardiomyopathy diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will ask about your personal and family medical history. It is important to tell your healthcare provider if someone in your family has cardiomyopathy or another form of heart disease. Some of these conditions can run in families. Your healthcare provider may do tests to see if you are at risk.

Your healthcare provider will also examine you. They may do some tests on your heart and blood.

PREVENTION

Can cardiomyopathy be prevented or avoided?

Cardiomyopathy can be inherited (it runs in families). You cannot prevent this type of cardiomyopathy. But you can make healthy lifestyle choices to reduce your risk of complications associated with cardiomyopathy.

You can also develop cardiomyopathy as the result of another disease or condition. Sometimes early treatment of that disease can help prevent you from developing cardiomyopathy.

Even though you can’t always prevent cardiomyopathy, you can do things to make it less likely that you’ll have complications related to the disease. According to Health Canada, you can reduce your risk by:

• limiting alcohol
• reducing stress
• being physically active
• eating nutritious foods
• maintaining a healthy weight
• quitting (or not starting) smoking

TREATMENT

How is cardiomyopathy treated?

Treatment depends on the cause of the cardiomyopathy. For example, if you have high blood pressure, your healthcare provider may prescribe medicine to help control it.

If you smoke or drink alcohol, your healthcare provider will probably advise you to quit. You may need to lose weight if you are overweight or obese. Physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. However, you should check with your healthcare provider before starting an exercise program.

Your healthcare provider may prescribe medicine to treat cardiomyopathy. They may also suggest that you eat less than 2,300 mg of salt per day. Sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease.

If you have heart failure, you may need a small device that is like a pacemaker to help your heart work correctly. You will need surgery to place the device in your body.

In serious cases, a person who has cardiomyopathy may need a heart transplant. A cardiologist (heart specialist) can help you and your healthcare provider make that decision.

Living with cardiomyopathy

Some people who have cardiomyopathy have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. If you fall into this category, you may not need treatment. Talk to your healthcare provider about monitoring your disease.

If you have moderate or severe symptoms, work with your healthcare provider to control them. Make recommended lifestyle changes. Take medicines as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Doing these things can help control your symptoms and even prevent the disease from getting worse.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
https://www.heartandstroke.ca/heart/conditions/cardiomyopathy