National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Cardiomyopathy is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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National Institutes of Health
Cardiomyopathy
Also called: Dilated cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Myocardiopathy, Restrictive cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy refers to diseases of the heart muscle. These diseases enlarge your heart muscle or make it thicker and more rigid than normal. In rare cases, scar tissue replaces the muscle tissue.
Some people live long, healthy lives with cardiomyopathy. Some people don't even realize they have it. In others, however, it can make the heart less able to pump blood through the body. This can cause serious complications, including
- Heart failure
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- Fluid buildup in your lungs or legs
- Endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart lining
Heart attacks, high blood pressure or infections can all cause cardiomyopathy. Some types of cardiomyopathy run in families. In many people, however, the cause is unknown. Treatment might involve medicines, surgery, other medical procedures and lifestyle changes.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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Start Here
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Cardiomyopathy(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Pediatric Cardiomyopathies(American Heart Association)
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Cardiomyopathy
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Reference Shelf
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Overviews
- Cardiomyopathy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Cardiomyopathy(Texas Heart Institute)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
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Echocardiography(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Ejection Fraction: What Does It Measure?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Electrocardiogram(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Stress Testing(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Transesophageal Echocardiography(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Echocardiography
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Treatment
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How Is Cardiomyopathy Treated?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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How Is Cardiomyopathy Treated?
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Disease Management
- Post-Adolescent Issues(Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation)
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Specific Conditions
- Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Broken Heart Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Restrictive Cardiomyopathy(Texas Heart Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Takotsubo (Stress) Cardiomyopathy(American Heart Association)
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Related Issues
- Causes of Cardiomyopathy(Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation)
- Diastolic Dysfunction(Texas Heart Institute)
- Myocarditis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Sudden Death in Young People--Heart Problems Often Blamed(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Videos
- Cardiomyopathy - Encyclopedia
- Also available in Spanish
- If I Had - Shortness of Breath and Was Diagnosed With Cardiomyopathy(Insidermedicine)
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Anatomy/Physiology
- Heart Anatomy(Texas Heart Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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How the Heart Works(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Cardiomyopathies(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Cardiomyopathies
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Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: 3-methylglutaconic aciduria(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Danon disease(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: DMD-associated dilated cardiomyopathy(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Familial restrictive cardiomyopathy(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Noonan syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Salih myopathy(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: 3-methylglutaconic aciduria
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Understanding cardiomyopathy phenotypes based on the functional impact of mutations...
- Article: Where genome meets phenome: rationale for integrating genetic and protein...
- Article: Patterns of disease progression in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: an individualized approach...
- Cardiomyopathy -- see more articles
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Cardiac Glossary(American Heart Association)
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Organizations
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Law and Policy
- Family and Medical Leave Act(Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation)
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Children
- Developmental Delays(Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation)
- Feeding and Diet Issues(Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation)
- Long Term Prognosis(Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation)
- Pediatric Cardiomyopathies(American Heart Association)
- School Issues(Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation)
- Signs and Symptoms(Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation)
- Travel Precautions(Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation)
- Treatment and Management(Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation)
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Women
- Pregnancy and Heart Failure(Cardiovascular Research Foundation)
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Patient Handouts
- Cardiac catheterization
- Also available in Spanish
- Cardiac catheterization - discharge
- Also available in Spanish
- Cardiomyopathy
- Also available in Spanish
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Also available in Spanish
- Echocardiogram
- Also available in Spanish
- Electrocardiogram
- Also available in Spanish
- Heart PET scan
- Also available in Spanish
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Also available in Spanish
- Myocardial biopsy
- Also available in Spanish
- Myocarditis
- Also available in Spanish
- Peripartum cardiomyopathy
- Also available in Spanish
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
