What is cardiomyopathy?
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. It described a wide range of conditions that affect the heart, including coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, congenital heart defects and disease of the heart muscles.
Cardiomyopathy refers to the disease of the heart muscles, wherein the heart finds it extremely difficult to pump blood to the rest of the body. It involves abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, which in turn makes it harder for the heart to work, explains the Mayo Clinic. So how do you know if your heart muscles are struggling? Here are some symptoms to watch out for.
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Shortness of breath
In case of cardiomyopathy, your heart muscles weaken and make it difficult for your heart to pump blood efficiently. This may result in breathlessness. This occurs both during an activity or at rest. Even when you're not exerting yourself, you may feel winded and out of breath.
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Chest discomfort
There are many types of cardiomyopathy including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, broken heart syndrome or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy - all of which involve weakening of the heart muscles, according to Britain's National Health Service (NHS). When the heart muscle weakens, a person is likely to feel a certain discomfort, pain and pressure in the chest, which could be due to the extra work that the heart has to put in to pump sufficient blood. The strain can make it difficult for a person to breathe and lead to chest pain.
Dizziness
Dizziness is when one feels that everything around them is spinning. It can make you feel lightheaded, triggering headaches and one may even feel faint.. According to the Mayo Clinic, dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting can be common among people with weakened heart muscles due to cardiomyopathy. This could be a result of slow or fast heart rhythm.
Heart palpitations
As discussed, cardiomyopathy is the disease of the heart muscles, in which your heart can't efficiently pump blood to the rest of your body. As a result, a person may experience fatigue, shortness of breath and/or heart palpitations. Heart palpitations are feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heart, explains the Mayo Clinic. It can also occur during extreme stress, exercise, or can be caused by a medical condition.
Who is at risk?
Many factors can increase your risk of cardiomyopathy. This includes a family history of cardiomyopathy, heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest, long-term high blood pressure, obesity, long-term alcohol misuse, illicit drug use and treatment with certain chemotherapy drugs and radiation for cancer, says the Mayo Clinic. Furthermore, certain medical conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disease, hemochromatosis, connective tissue disorders can increase your risk of the heart disease.