Complications of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy!
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, is a condition in which the Heart muscle thickens. This can make the Heart muscle stiff and unable to pump blood as well as it should. Oftentimes, due to lack of symptoms, this condition can be difficult to diagnose and may result in life-threatening arrhythmia symptoms and even sudden death. HCM can be diagnosed with a physical examination, electrocardiogram (ECG), or an echocardiogram.
Causes & Symptoms
The thickening of the heart muscle can be caused by a variety of things, including genetics, injuries, and certain medical conditions. Most common symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can include shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, and irregular heartbeats. Treatment for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy often includes medications, lifestyle changes, and surgery. Other typical symptoms of HCM include:
- Chest pain while you exercise
- You may experience fainting immediately after exercise
- Heart murmur which can be detected only by a healthcare provider
- Severe palpitations with rapid heartbeats and heart pounding type symptoms
- Exercise-induced symptoms of breath catching or shortness of breath
Complications of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy!
- Atrial Fibrillation: Thickening and stiffness of the heart muscles can lead to changes in the normal electrical signals of the heart causing you to experience fast and irregular heartbeats generally referred to as atrial fibrillation by medical professionals. If left untreated, it may result in blood clot formation, brain stroke, and even sudden death.
- Mitral Regurgitation or Mitral Valve Disease: Severe thickening of heart muscles may result in mitral valve disease where your mitral valve fails to close properly, which manages the flow of blood leaving the heart. This may further worsen your symptoms due to a condition called mitral valve regurgitation or back flow of blood towards the heart.
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Dilated cardiomyopathy or enlarged heart is a condition that is caused due to weakness of the heart muscles. This causes your heart function to deteriorate as the heart pushes the blood out of it with a very little force.
- Heart Failure: Thickening of the heart muscles ultimately lead to heart failure where the stiffness may finally result in filling of the heart with blood making it completely unable to pump sufficient blood that your body normally requires.
- Syncope or Fainting Spells: You may experience fainting spells due to irregular heartbeats causing lack of sufficient blood supply reaching towards your entire body, especially peripherals.
- Sudden Death: Since hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is difficult to diagnose and the symptoms often go unnoticed, it may result in sudden cardiac death.
Meet Dr. Arun for Treating Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy to Perfection!
Do you think you too have some signs or symptoms that may be related to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy? Do you have a family history of this condition? Then contact an expert cardiologist immediately. You may like to contact Dr. Arun. He is a board-certified cardiologist in Abu Dhabi. The doctor specializes in accurately diagnosing and treating this condition with perfection. He has expertise & experience in treating all types of life-threatening heart conditions with great ease.
