What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

• A. Dilation of the heart chambers
• B. Inward growth of the heart walls that narrows openings for blood to pass through, decreasing cardiac output
• C. Inflammation of heart valves
• D. Poor vascular supply to the heart muscle

Answer: (B)

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, most often affecting the ventricular walls and the wall between the ventricles. This thickening causes the walls to grow inward and narrow the openings through which blood must pass, especially the left ventricular outflow tract. That narrowing reduces the amount of blood the heart can push forward with each beat, more noticeably during activity, and it can make the ventricle less compliant, impairing filling during diastole. This inward growth of the walls that narrows the passage for blood to pass through, decreasing cardiac output, is the defining feature. It differs from dilation of the heart chambers, which happens in dilated cardiomyopathy and involves enlarged chambers with weaker contractions; from inflammation of heart valves, which is a valvular issue; and from poor vascular supply to the heart muscle, which is due to coronary artery disease and ischemia. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often inherited and can cause symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, or fainting, and it’s a known risk factor for sudden death in young people.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, most often affecting the ventricular walls and the wall between the ventricles. This thickening causes the walls to grow inward and narrow the openings through which blood must pass, especially the left ventricular outflow tract. That narrowing reduces the amount of blood the heart can push forward with each beat, more noticeably during activity, and it can make the ventricle less compliant, impairing filling during diastole.

This inward growth of the walls that narrows the passage for blood to pass through, decreasing cardiac output, is the defining feature. It differs from dilation of the heart chambers, which happens in dilated cardiomyopathy and involves enlarged chambers with weaker contractions; from inflammation of heart valves, which is a valvular issue; and from poor vascular supply to the heart muscle, which is due to coronary artery disease and ischemia. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often inherited and can cause symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, or fainting, and it’s a known risk factor for sudden death in young people.