Cardiomyopathy is a group of diseases that affect the heart muscle.Early on there may be few or no symptoms. As the disease worsens, shortness of breath, feeling tired, and swelling of the legs may occur, due to the onset of heart failure. An irregular heart beat and fainting may occur. Those affected are at an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. Types of
cardiomyopathy include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, and takotsubo
cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome). In hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy the heart muscle enlarges and thickens. In dilated cardiomyopathy the ventricles enlarge and weaken. In restrictive
cardiomyopathy the ventricle stiffens. In many cases, the cause cannot be determined. Hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy is usually inherited, whereas dilated
cardiomyopathy is inherited in about one third of cases. Dilated
cardiomyopathy may also result from alcohol, heavy metals,
coronary artery disease, cocaine use, and viral infections. Restrictive
cardiomyopathy may be caused by amyloidosis, hemochromatosis, and some
cancer treatments
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