Coronary Artery Disease
Heart Attacks
Abnormal Heart Rhythm (Arrhythmia)
Atrial Fibrillation
Heart Valve Disease
Sudden Cardiac Death
Congenital Heart Disease
Heart Muscular Disease And Cardiomyopathy
Pericarditis
Marfan syndrome
Heart muscle disease -- what doctors call cardiomyopathy -- is as serious as it sounds. Here's a brief overview.
Cardiomyopathy, or heart muscle disease, is a type of progressive heart disease in which the heart is abnormally enlarged, thickened, and/or stiffened. As a result, the heart muscle's ability to pump blood is weakened, often causing heart failure and the backup of blood into the lungs or rest of the body. The disease can also cause abnormal heart rhythms.
Usually, cardiomyopathy begins in the heart's lower chambers (the ventricles), but in severe cases can affect the upper chambers or atria as well.
There are three main types of cardiomyopathy:
