CARDIOMYOPATHY; Family casebook.

Byline: DR GARETH SMITH

CARDIOMYOPATHY is where the muscle of the heart is diseased with no apparent cause. There are different types:

Hypertrophic cardio-myopathy where the heart muscle is abnormally thick.

Dilated cardiomyopathy, were the heart muscle becomes thinner leading to the heart getting enlarged.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy, the least common form where the muscle becomes stiffened. Many people live with cardiomyopathy with few complications but, depending on the severity of the disease, in some cases the only treatment is a heart transplant.