Dilated cardiomyopathy

[Dave Paprocki]

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a group of heart muscle disorders in which the ventricles (the two lower chambers of the heart) enlarge (dilate) but are not able to pump enough blood for the body’s needs, resulting in heart failure.

Viral infections, and some hormonal disorders are common causes of dilated cardiomyopathy.
Shortness of breath and fatigue are often the first symptoms.
Electrocardiography, echocardiography, and magnetic resonance imaging are used to diagnose dilated cardiomyopathy.
Doctors try to treat the cause of this cardiomyopathy, usually by giving drugs.

Cardiomyopathy refers to progressive impairment of the structure and function of the muscular walls of the heart chambers. There are three main types of cardiomyopathy. In addition to dilated cardiomyopathy, there are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and restrictive cardiomyopathy (see also Overview of Cardiomyopathy).
The term cardiomyopathy is used only when a disorder directly affects the heart muscle. Other heart disorders, such as coronary artery disease and heart valve disorders, also can eventually cause the ventricles to enlarge and heart failure. However, doctors do not classify the heart muscle problems caused by those disorders as cardiomyopathies.
Dilated cardiomyopathy can develop at any age but is more common in adults younger than about 50 years of age. About 10% of people who develop dilated cardiomyopathy are older than 65. In the United States, the disorder occurs in about 3 times as many men as women and 3 times as many blacks as whites. About 5 to 8 of every 100,000 people develop dilated cardiomyopathy each year.

[Greta]

a disease in which the walls of one of the heart chambers become stretched and thin so the heart does not pump properly: