Cardiomyopathies Oakville

Cardiomyopathies

What is a Cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy refers to a disease state affecting the heart muscle (myocardium). This disease state can lead to the heart enlarging, thickening, or stiffening. This inevitably makes it more challenging for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body, and over time can lead to heart failure. Some patients with a cardiomyopathy may require a mechanical circulatory support device and/or cardiac transplantation.  

Cardiomyopathies are sometimes divided into 2 broad categories, called ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. Within these broader categories, they can be further subcategorized into 3 main types of cardiomyopathies:

graphic showing what heart muscle disease does to the human heart