What is Cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that causes the heart muscle to become enlarged, thick, or rigid. Cardiomyopathy can have many causes, signs and symptoms, and some people never have symptoms.

As cardiomyopathy progresses, the heart becomes weaker. It is less able to pump blood through the body and maintain a normal electrical rhythm. This can lead to heart failure or irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias.

The main types of cardiomyopathy are:

• Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
• Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM)
• Left Ventricular Non-compaction (LVNC)
• Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (ARVD)

Cardiomyopathy can be treated. The type of treatment depends on which type of cardiomyopathy you have and how serious it is.