5 Interesting Facts of Cardiomyopathy
- Heterogeneous group of myocardial disorders, typically characterized by either ventricular hypertrophy or dilation
- Potential causes of cardiomyopathy are diverse and include hypertensive, genetic (familial), inflammatory, metabolic, endocrine, toxic, and infiltrative processes
- Presentation reflects underlying pathology; dilated cardiomyopathy typically presents as heart failure or reduced cardiac output while hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may present with chest pain, syncope, arrhythmias, or sudden death
- ECG findings are often abnormal and may vary depending on cause; typical findings include left ventricular hypertrophy, various left atrial abnormalities, possibly pathologic Q waves, and arrhythmia (eg, atrial fibrillation)
- Differentiate by clinical presentation and cardiac evaluation beginning with ECG and echocardiography; confirmation of underlying cause involves a focused secondary evaluation guided by clinical presentation
