Cardiomyopathy is a disease that affects the heart muscle (known as themyocardium).
There are different types of cardiomyopathy.
With cardiomyopathy, your heart is not able to keep a regularelectrical rhythmand cannot effectively pump blood.
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The condition weakens your heart and can lead toheart failure.
However, medication, surgery, and lifestyle changes can help improve your prognosis.
However, the exact changes that occur vary by disease throw in.
The pop in of disease you have also affects your treatment and outlook.
Symptoms
Cardiomyopathy impacts people differently.
Some may never have signs of sickness.
Others may have symptoms that grow worse as the disease causes more damage.
Signs of illness can be the same across different types of this disease.
Even if you don’t have heart disease, they may be signs of a problem.
Secondary cardiomyopathy results from a condition that also affects other parts of your body.
Primary cardiomyopathy can be resulting from genetic disorders.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, for instance, is related to aninherited mutation.
Primary cardiomyopathy can also be due to disorders acquired during life, such as peripartum cardiomyopathy during pregnancy.
Common causes of secondary cardiomyopathy include:
you might also develop cardiomyopathy without a known cause.
Risk Factors
Cardiomyopathy impacts all genders and people of all ages, including children.
However, some people are more likely to develop heart disease.
Your symptoms and family history help define the types of tests you need.
Genetic testing can also help detect inherited forms of cardiomyopathy before they produce signs of sickness.
Treating Primary Cardiomyopathy
Treatment for primary cardiomyopathy typically involves starting and keeping a healthy way of life.
This includes the following steps:
Medicine may be prescribed to control signs of illness.
The most common types of medicines used include:
Some patients with cardiomyopathy benefit from apacemaker.
This surgically implanted machine monitors your heart’s rhythm.
Based on your disease, you may need heart surgery to correct the damage.
Treatment for the most advanced stages of this illness may require aheart transplant.
Secondary cardiomyopathy may be treated with lifestyle changes, medication, an implanted medical gadget, and/or heart surgery.
However, treating secondary cardiomyopathy also involves addressing the underlying condition that caused your heart disease.
This is necessary to prevent further heart damage.
Treatment for secondary cardiomyopathy varies widely depending on the underlying condition.
For example, in cases of alcoholic cardiomyopathy, treatment may include the cessation of all alcohol consumption.
Prognosis
There is no cure for cardiomyopathy.
However, a supervised treatment plan can help slow down the disease.
The right treatment can also improve your quality of life.
Without treatment, cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure.
This is a serious condition that can be life-threatening.
If heart disease progresses to severe, symptomatic heart failure, life expectancy is lower.
In fact, researchers found that the five-year survival rate for people with heart failure was about 50%.
Coping With Cardiomyopathy
Living with cardiomyopathymeans dealing with both physical and emotional changes.
Feeling afraid or depressed about your illness is normal.
It’s common to feel lonely or angry if your sickness limits your lifestyle.
Realize that your feelings can affect your physical state.
Don’t be afraid to discuss your feelings with your healthcare provider.
They may advise you to get professional help from a mental health professional.
Summary
Cardiomyopathy involves a group of progressive conditions that damage your heart muscle.
Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, and an irregular heartbeat.
Treatment varies based on the cause and symptoms of your condition.
It involves lifestyle changes, medicine, and/or surgery.
The goal is to slow the disease and improve signs of sickness.
Get an annual medical examination and report any symptoms to your medical provider.
An early diagnosis and proper treatment can help prevent heart damage before the disease worsens.
Even if you don’t have symptoms, you should know your risk of having this condition.
Discuss genetic testing with your healthcare provider if you have a close family member who has this disease.
Living with cardiomyopathy involves managing both the physical and emotional aspects of this condition.
Seek support from your healthcare provider, family and friends, and others who can help.
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