General Cardiomyopathy: Cardiomyopathy is a disease related to heart muscle abnormalities in which the heart muscle becomes weakened, stretched, or has other structural problems. The abnormalities often contribute to the heart’s inability to pump or function well.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease in which the heart muscle becomes hypertrophied. The thickened heart muscle can make it harder for the heart to pump blood. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy often goes undiagnosed because many people with the disease have few, if any, symptoms and can lead normal lives with no significant problems. However, in a small number of people with HCM, the thickened heart muscle can cause shortness of breath, chest pain or problems in the heart’s electrical system, resulting in life-threatening arrhythmias or sudden death.
ARVC: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a form of heart disease that usually appears in adulthood. ARVC is a disorder of the myocardium, which is the muscular wall of the heart. This condition causes part of the myocardium to break down over time, increasing the risk of an abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia) and sudden death.
Restrictive Cardiomyopathy: Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is a condition where the chambers of the heart become stiff over time. Though the heart can squeeze well, the heart is not able to relax between beats normally. This makes it harder for the heart to fill up with blood, causing the blood to back up in the circulatory system. The backup causes fluid to build up in the body including the lungs, which leads to many of the symptoms of the condition. If the pressure inside the ventricles increases and the atria becomes enlarged, then an increased risk for irregular heart rhythms occurs. Eventually this disease makes the heart unable to pump as much blood out to the body as it normally would. Most people with RCM eventually develop heart failure. RCM is a fairly uncommon form of cardiomyopathy.
