Cardiomyopathy: Hypertrophic, Dilated & Restrictive

Cardiomyopathy is a term that means “heart muscle disease.” It is also a term describing a series of disorders causing primary heart muscle dysfunction in both men and women, often leading to heart failure or sudden death. It is estimated that dilated cardiomyopathy, the most common form of cardiomyopathy is responsible for 10,000 deaths each year in the United States.

What is Cardiomyopathy?

As described above, cadiomyopathy is a deterioration of the function of the heart muscle.

There are three main types of cardiomyopathy:

1. Dilated Cardiomyopathy
2. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
3. Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease in which the heart muscle becomes enlarged and pumps with less strength. The heart muscle becomes weak and is inefficient at pumping blood around the rest of the body. This causes fluids to compile in the lungs. The lungs become congested and the patient becomes short of breath. When this happens, the patient is in congestive heart failure.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is when the patient’s heart muscle thickens unnaturally. Usually the thickening occurs in the left ventricle which is the main pumping chamber of the heart. The thickening of the left ventricle makes it hold less blood than normal and the walls of the ventricles can become stiff. As a result, they are unable to fill with blood. This results in increased pressure in the ventricles and the blood vessels of the lungs.

Restrictive Cardiomyopathy is the least common form of cardiomyopathy. Restrictive cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart muscle is unable to relax in between heartbeats or contractions. This prevents the heart from filling with enough blood.  This cardiomyopathy usually affects older people.

Cardiomyopathy Symptoms

• Shortness of breath
• Swelling in the lower limbs
• Low Energy
• Heart Arrhythmias
• Dizziness and fainting

Cardiomyopathy Treatment

Traditional cardiomyopathy treatment methods vary depending on which type of cardiomyopathy you have. However, TheraVitae has developed a revolutionary adult stem cell therapy called VesCell to treat cardiomyopathy. Click here for more details.