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Cardiomyopathy is a very serious disease that affects the heart muscle area. What does it do? This disease will cause the heart muscle to become inflamed which will greatly affect it making it not work as well as it normally should. Cardiomyopathy can be classified in two different groups, these groups are either primary or secondary. What is the difference between them?
Primary cardiomyopathy can't be attributed to a specific cause unlike secondary cardiomyopathy. Secondory cardiomyopathy can, however, be related or caused by some other disease which can include diseases such as high blood pressure, heart valve disease, artery diseases as well as congenital heart defects. This type of cardiomyopathy is not only associated with disease that just affect the heart, but can be related to other diseases that can involve other organs as well as the heart.
In this article, we will be discussing everything you will need to know about cardiomyopathy including causes, symptoms, and even possible treatment options.
Incidence of the condition
The incidence of cardiomyopathy in US is 400,000 cases per year. This disease afflicts 2-3 million people in the United States. Several studies have found that 5 years after the initial presentation of the disease, 42% of women and 62% of men had died. Long-term survival was found to be inversely proportional to the severity of the disease on the initial diagnosis.
Signs and symptoms
Although some people who develop cardiomyopathy may have no signs and symptoms in the early stages of the disease, as the condition advances, signs and symptoms usually appear.
Some of the most common signs are:
- Breathlessness with exertion or even at rest
- Swelling of the lower extremities
- Distention of the abdomen with fluid
- Fatigue
- Irregular heart rhythm
- Dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting
- Swelling of the legs, ankles, or other portion of the body
- Abdominal swelling or enlargement
- Low amount of urine during daytime
- A need to urinate at night
- Changes in mental status
- Decreased alertness
No matter what type of cardiomyopathy we are talking about, it is important to stress out that signs and symptoms tend to progress over time unless the condition is treated.