Cardiomyopathy
A condition where the heart muscle becomes abnormal, weakened, or stiff, reducing its ability to pump blood effectively and potentially leading to heart failure.
Cardiomyopathy refers to a condition where the heart muscle becomes abnormal, weakened, thickened, or stiff, impairing its ability to pump blood effectively. It can result from various causes, including infections (like Chagas disease), genetic factors, or autoimmune disorders. Over time, this disease may lead to heart failure, arrhythmias, or other serious complications if not properly managed.
What this means in real life
A person with cardiomyopathy might feel unusually short of breath while climbing stairs or experience fatigue during everyday activities because their heart cannot pump enough oxygen-rich blood to their muscles.
What it isn’t
Cardiomyopathy is not a heart attack or coronary artery disease. Those conditions involve blocked blood vessels; cardiomyopathy is a primary problem with the heart muscle tissue itself.
Commonly misused online
Social media often conflates cardiomyopathy with 'enlarged heart,' but enlargement is only one form—some types involve thickening or stiffening without size change.