Etiology, Prevention and Management of Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a disorder affecting cardiac muscle cells and negatively impacting the ability of the heart to perform its functions. The prevalence of cardiomyopathy varies according to the type of cardiomyopathy, but inherited hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is very common because it affects about 1 in 500 people globally. Cardiomyopathy can affect any person irrespective of age, gender, or ethnicity. The severity of the symptoms of cardiomyopathy depends largely on the stage and gravity of the disease. Symptoms include but are not limited to tiredness, cardiac palpitations, arrhythmia, angina, dyspnea, fainting, and ankle edema. Cardiomyopathy can be caused by a plethora of conditions such as genetic mutations, diabetes mellitus, inflammation, infection, and amyloidosis of cardiomyocytes. In addition, coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia, hemochromatosis, and muscular dystrophy may induce cardiomyopathy. Family history of cardiac disease, prolonged consumption of cocaine or alcohol, stress, pregnancy, obesity, and chemotherapy may predispose individuals to developing cardiomyopathy. What happens if cardiomyopathy is not treated? Arrhythmias, heart failure, cardiac stroke, cardiac valvular illness, and sudden cardiac death can occur. Etiology, Prevention, and Management of Cardiomyopathy is an assembly of original research and review articles on different aspects of cardiomyopathy. The variety of areas covered include the history, classification, diagnosis, types, prevention, and treatment of cardiomyopathy. The diverse areas covered and the types of articles presented make the book attractive reading material for medical and biological sciences students, researchers, cardiac patients, clinicians, and cardiologists. The book is organized into eight chapters. Themes covered in the book include the history, epidemiological issues, predisposing factors, forms, pathomechanisms, detection, preventive approaches, and medical and surgical therapy of different types of cardiomyopathies.