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Cardiomyopathy
What is it?
Cardiomyopathy (pronounced kärd-E-O-mI-'äp-a-thE) is a disease of the myocardium or a change in the heart that causes it to lose its pumping strength. In children, this disease is caused mostly by viral infections.
There are three main kinds of cardiomyopathy — dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive.
- Dilated is the most common kind. This is when the heart cavity is enlarged and stretched.
- Hypertrophic is when the muscle of the left ventricle enlarges or hypertrophies (thickens).
- Restrictive is when the myocardium of the ventricles (lower chambers where the blood is pumped out) becomes very stiff so it's harder for the ventricles to fill with blood between heartbeats.
Cardiomyopathy usually starts in the walls of the ventricles. The damage hurts the heart's ability to pump blood and could lead to congestive heart failure.
How is it treated?
Cardiomyopathy is usually treated with medicines or a pacemaker. In rare cases, a heart transplant is needed.