Cardiomyopathy is an enlargement of the heart muscle that can have a negative effect on quality of life. The heart can become inflamed and enlarged from conditions such as high blood pressure, birth defects, disorders of the heart valves or from blockages of the coronary arteries, known as primary cardiomyopathy. Organs that are diseased, such as the kidneys, can affect the heart leading to secondary cardiomyopathy.
Blood Clots
An enlarged heart muscle pumps blood through the heart and into the circulation system slowly. Slower circulation of blood throughout the chambers of the heart can lead to formation of a blood clot (thrombus). If the thrombus becomes disengaged after forming in the right side of the heart, it can travel to the lungs and is known as a pulmonary embolus. Cardiomyopathy can also lead to blood clots in the left side of the heart that can travel throughout the circulatory system causing stroke or heart attack. A clot could lodge in the arteries that supply blood flow to the kidneys and failure can result. Thrombi that become emboli can also block the arteries in the legs leading to diminished or complete lack of blood supply to the extremity and loss of limb if left untreated.
Shortness of Breath
Cardiomyopathy causes shortness of breath because oxygen-rich blood is ejected from the heart in smaller volumes compared with a healthy heart. The individuals may feel breathless even at rest and require more oxygen to perform routine daily activities.
Irregular Heart Rhythm
Individuals with enlarged heart, known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), can suddenly die from ventricular fibrillation. The condition is often the cause of sudden death in athletes under age 30. HCM is enlargement and thickening of the lower heart chambers or in the septum that separates the right and left heart. The condition causes disrupted electrical signals and sudden collapse from the rapid, disorganized heart rhythm of ventricular fibrillation. Other abnormal heart rhythms associated with an enlarged heart include premature heart beats that may feel like a "fluttering" in the chest. Irregular heart rate from cardiomyopathy can also cause low blood pressure, fatigue, worsening shortness of breath, dizziness and fainting.
Congestive Heart Failure
An enlarged heart leads to congestive heart failure. Symptoms include shortness of breath, swelling in the abdomen and extremities, fatigue, cough and breathing difficulty when prone. Tests to diagnose enlarged heart include electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, blood tests, chest X-ray, cardiac catheterization and muscle biopsy of the heart. The treatment depends on the underlying cause and type and cardiomyopathy severity.
