Cardiomyopathy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cardiomyopathy |
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| This picture shows a heart chamber that has become thick and stretched. The inside of the heart looks whiter than usual. | |
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| Treatment | Varies by type and symptoms |
| Frequency | 2.5 million with myocarditis (2015) |
| Deaths | 354,000 with myocarditis (2015) |
Cardiomyopathy is a group of conditions that affect the heart muscle. When someone has cardiomyopathy, their heart muscle can become weak, thick, or stiff. This makes it harder for the heart to pump blood effectively to the rest of the body.
At first, people might not notice any symptoms. But as the condition gets worse, they might feel short of breath, very tired, or have swelling in their legs. These symptoms happen because the heart isn't pumping blood as well as it should, leading to heart failure. Sometimes, the heart can beat in an irregular way, or a person might even faint. People with cardiomyopathy can also be at a higher risk for very serious heart problems that can happen suddenly.
In 2013, experts defined cardiomyopathies as problems where the heart muscle is not normal in its shape or how it works. This happens when there isn't another clear disease causing these issues. The main types include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (where the heart muscle gets thick), dilated cardiomyopathy (where the heart chambers get big and weak), and restrictive cardiomyopathy (where the heart muscle becomes stiff). There are also other types like arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, sometimes called "broken heart syndrome."
Often, doctors don't know the exact cause of cardiomyopathy. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is usually inherited, meaning it runs in families. About one-third of dilated cardiomyopathy cases are also inherited. Other causes for dilated cardiomyopathy can include certain substances, some chemicals, or other heart problems. Restrictive cardiomyopathy can be caused by conditions like amyloidosis or hemochromatosis, and sometimes by certain cancer treatments. "Broken heart syndrome" is often triggered by extreme emotional or physical stress.
The way cardiomyopathy is treated depends on its type and how severe the symptoms are. Treatments can involve making healthy lifestyle changes, taking medicines, or having surgery. Sometimes, surgery might involve a special device called a ventricular assist device or even a heart transplant. In 2015, cardiomyopathy and myocarditis affected about 2.5 million people. A study from 2004 to 2023 showed that the number of people with cardiomyopathy more than doubled. In 2023, about 5 out of every 1,000 men and 3 out of every 1,000 women had cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy was the most common type.
Contents
Understanding Heart Symptoms
When your heart muscle isn't working correctly, you might notice certain signs. It's important to tell a trusted adult or doctor if you experience any of these:
- Shortness of breath, especially when you are active
- Feeling very tired or having low energy
- Swelling in your ankles, feet, legs, or belly
- Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
- Fainting, especially during physical activity
- Unusual heartbeats that feel too fast or irregular
- Chest pain, which might happen after exercise or big meals
- Unusual sounds a doctor hears when listening to your heart
What Causes Cardiomyopathy?
Cardiomyopathies can happen for different reasons. Some are inherited, meaning they are passed down through your family's genes. Others are acquired, meaning they develop during a person's life.
Inherited cardiomyopathies often involve problems with the tiny parts that make up your heart muscle cells. Acquired cardiomyopathies can have clear causes, such as certain infections that affect the heart.
Sometimes, cardiomyopathy is part of a bigger health issue affecting other parts of the body. However, doctors usually don't call it cardiomyopathy if the heart problem is caused by other conditions like coronary artery disease (blocked heart arteries), hypertension (high blood pressure), or issues with the heart valves. Often, the exact cause remains unknown. But in many cases, a cause can be found. For example, certain substances or infections can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy. Also, untreated celiac disease can sometimes cause heart muscle problems that can get better with the right diagnosis and treatment.
Experts have different ways to group cardiomyopathies. One common way is to divide them into primary types, which mainly affect the heart, and secondary types, which happen because of an illness in another part of the body. These groups help doctors understand and treat the condition better.
How Doctors Diagnose Cardiomyopathy
To find out if someone has cardiomyopathy, doctors use several tests. They will usually:
- Do a physical exam
- Ask about your family's health history
- Take Blood tests
- Perform an ECG (electrocardiogram), which checks the heart's electrical activity
- Do an Echocardiogram, which uses sound waves to create pictures of your heart
- Conduct a Stress test, to see how your heart works during exercise
- Suggest Genetic testing, especially if the condition might be inherited
Main Types of Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathies are grouped based on how they affect the heart muscle. The three main types are:
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM): In this type, the heart muscle, especially the walls of the ventricles, becomes unusually thick. This thickening can make it harder for the heart to pump blood out and fill with blood properly.
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM): Here, the heart's main pumping chambers (the ventricles) become enlarged and stretched out. This makes the heart muscle weaker and less able to pump blood effectively.
- Restrictive Cardiomyopathy (RCM): This is when the heart muscle becomes stiff and less flexible. It means the ventricles can't relax properly to fill with blood between heartbeats, even though the muscle walls might not be thick or enlarged.
Treating Cardiomyopathy
Treatment for cardiomyopathy aims to help manage symptoms and improve the heart's function. It often starts with making healthy lifestyle changes, such as eating well and staying active (as advised by a doctor).
Doctors might prescribe medications to help the heart pump better, control blood pressure, or regulate heart rhythms. For some people, special devices might be needed. These can include pacemakers for slow heart rates or defibrillators to correct dangerous fast heart rhythms. If heart failure is severe, a ventricular assist device (VAD) might be used to help the heart pump blood. In some cases, a procedure called catheter ablation can fix irregular heartbeats.
The main goal is to make patients feel better and live a full life. For very serious cases, a heart transplant might be considered as a last option.
A new medicine called Acoramidis (Attruby) was approved in the United States in November 2024. It helps adults with a specific type of cardiomyopathy called transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) by reducing serious heart problems and hospital stays.
See also
In Spanish: Miocardiopatía para niños
- Basic Research in Cardiology (journal)
- Fibrosing cardiomyopathy (disease in great apes)
- Myopathy
