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Conditions & Diseases: Cardiovascular System

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Cardiomyopathy

See Also:
Cardiomyopathy: Introduction, Types & Pictures
Cardiomyopathy: Causes & Risk Factors
Cardiomyopathy: Signs & Symptoms
Cardiomyopathy: Medical Tests & Diagnosis Methods
Cardiomyopathy: Treatment & Prevention Options

Causes & Risk Factors

Causes:
When the causes of cardiomyopathy are not known, it is called as Idiopathic cardiomyopathy. Causes of other types of cardiomyapathy are listed below.

Causes of dilated cardiomyopathy:
Dilated cardiomyopathy is caused by certain diseases, conditions, substances, and can even be inherited. Various causes include:

  • Coronary artery disease and heart attacks (ischemic cardiomyopathy).
  • Viral infections leading to inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis).
  • Excessive intake of alcohol with poor diet causes alcoholic cardiomyopathy.
  • Complications during pregnancy or after childbirth cause peripartum cardiomyopathy.
  • Toxins such as cobalt, and drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines and medicines such as doxorubicin and daunorubicin (used to treat cancer).
  • Diabetes and thyroid disease.

Causes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy:
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can develop due to hypertension or aging.

Causes of restrictive cardiomyopathy:
Disease and conditions leading to restrictive cardiomyopathy are:

1. Hemochromatosis: In this condition, excess iron is deposited into tissues including heart tissue.

2. Amyloidosis: In this condition, abnormal proteins are deposited into the heart tissue.

3. Connective tissue disorders. (5)

  

ARVC:
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) or Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) is an inherited condition. (11)

Risks: Some of the cardiomyopathy risk factors include:

  1. Family history of cardiomyopathy.
  2. Heart failure or sudden cardiac death.
  3. Coronary Artery Disease.
  4. Previous heart attack.
  5. Myocarditis
  6. Certain disease that can damage the heart such as hemochromatosis and amyloidosis.
  7. Prolonged alcoholism.
  8. Prolonged high blood pressure.
  9. Diabetes (5)

See Also:
Cardiomyopathy: Introduction, Types & Pictures
Cardiomyopathy: Causes & Risk Factors
Cardiomyopathy: Signs & Symptoms
Cardiomyopathy: Medical Tests & Diagnosis Methods
Cardiomyopathy: Treatment & Prevention Options

Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com

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Page Last Modified:
02/15/2011