Dilated cardiomyopathy
| Dilated cardiomyopathy | |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | Congestive cardiomyopathy, idiopathic cardiomyopathy, primary cardiomyopathy |
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| Mouse heart slice showing dilated cardiomyopathy | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Cardiology |
| ICD-10 | I42.0 |
| ICD-9-CM | 425.4 |
| OMIM | 212110 |
| DiseasesDB | 3066 |
| MedlinePlus | 000168 |
| eMedicine | med/289 emerg/80 ped/2502 |
| MeSH | D002311 |
| GeneReviews | |
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood efficiently. The decreased heart function can affect the lungs, liver, and other body systems.
DCM is one of the cardiomyopathies, a group of diseases that affect primarily the heart muscle. Different cardiomyopathies have different causes and affect the heart in different ways. In DCM a portion of the myocardium is dilated, often without any obvious cause. Left or right ventricular systolic pump function of the heart is impaired, leading to progressive heart enlargement via ventricular hypertrophy and ventricular dilation, a process called ventricular remodeling.
Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common form of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. It occurs more frequently in men than in women, and is most common between the ages of 20 and 60 years. About one in three cases of congestive heart failure (CHF) is due to dilated cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy also occurs in children.
Dilated cardiomyopathy may not cause symptoms significant enough to impact on quality of life. A minority of people can experience significant symptoms. These might include:
A person suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy may have an enlarged heart, with pulmonary edema and an elevated jugular venous pressure and a low pulse pressure. Signs of mitral and tricuspid regurgitation may be present. A fast heart rate with no change during the respiratory cycle may also be found.
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