Posted: 10/01/06 - 23:00 Post subject: What is cardiomyopathy?
Hi! My friend has cardiomyopathy. I worry for him, and I want to know what cardiomyopathy is. First he had high blood pressure, and recently his cardiologist diagnosed cardiomyopathy. What are causes of this disease?
Hi! Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle. Heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn't work as well as it should. Causes are different including viral infections The name comes from the roots "cardio" meaning heart, "myo" meaning muscle and "pathy" meaning disease... There are three main types of cardiomyopathy, dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive. They affect your heart's ability to pump blood and deliver it to the rest of your body. Treatment of cardiomyopathy depends on which type you have and may include medications, implantable devices or, in severe cases, a heart transplant.
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