Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy -HCM
Thursday, July 7th, 2011 at 2:59 am
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There are four kinds of cardiac problems caused by HCM are:
- Diastolic dysfunction
- Systolic dysfunction
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Sudden death
“Diastolic dysfunction” refers to the thickened ventricles which become stiff and it becomes more difficult for the ventricles to fill with blood. This stiffness causes the blood to “back up” in the lungs, leading to shortness of breath with exertion. The diastolic dysfunction also causes arrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation in patients with with HCM.
“Systolic dysfunction” refers to abnormal pumping action of heart. An insufficient volume of blood is ejected when the heart beats. Systolic dysfunction in HCM is due to abnormal functioning of the mitral or aortic valves, which is caused by the distorted ventricles due to abnormal thickening of muscle.