Cardiomyopathy, which refers to a disease of the heart, is a broad term that refers to a wide range of heart conditions and diseases. While some people are born with cardiomyopathy, it can also be acquired later in life as a result of lifestyle choices or because of another condition. While there are many different forms of cardiomyopathy, it typically always stems from your hearts’ inability to pump enough blood throughout your body.
Cardiomyopathy is a serious condition because it often leads to heart palpitations, chest pain, breathing problems, and many other symptoms and problems. For that reason, if you are experiencing symptoms of cardiomyopathy, you should seek a medical diagnosis and treatment immediately.
Most forms of cardiomyopathy are a result of poor lifestyle choices such as poor diet, inadequate exercise, smoking, drinking, and more. Therefore, if you catch your condition early enough, you may be able to remedy the problem by making lifestyle changes. This includes eating a healthier diet, exercising regularly, and quitting unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking.
If lifestyle changes are not enough, the next course of action is to take heart medication. There are nearly as many different types of heart medications as there are cardiomyopathies, but here are the most common and effective.
One of the leading reasons for heart problems is when your blood is too thick to flow throughout the body. In this case, you will get prescribed anticoagulants, such as heparin, which help to thin the blood and improve flow.
Antihypertensives, also known as blood pressure medication, helps lower your blood pressure by widening your blood vessels. High blood pressure means that your heart is working too hard to pump blood, which puts you at risk for a stroke. Antihypertensives, such as thiazide, can help prevent this.
When your cardiomyopathy is happening because of an irregular heartbeat or rhythm, your doctor might prescribe an antiarrhythmic, such as adenosine or digoxin. These drugs help restore your heart to a normal rhythm.
Cholesterol medications, such as statins, are commonly prescribed when your cardiomyopathy is due to high cholesterol. Cholesterol causes you to develop fatty deposits in your arteries, leading to reduced blood flow and heart problems.
While medications for cardiomyopathy can improve your heart health, they can also result in unwanted side effects. This includes weight gain, heart palpitations, another heart problem, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and much more. Therefore, you should only take heart medications when they are prescribed by a doctor.
When your cardiomyopathy is too advanced for medications to have the desired effect, you may require surgery. There are several surgeries and procedures that can improve your cardiomyopathy or take it away altogether.
In situations where blood flow is reduced because part of your heart is thickened and diseased, a septal ablation will destroy the damaged part of the heart and restore blood flow.
Pacemakers, ICDs, and other devices can help restore a normal heartbeat, which is often a side effect of cardiomyopathy. While these devices won’t cure your condition, they can keep your cardiomyopathy from being fatal.
If your heart is beyond saving and there are no other options, you will require a heart transplant to continue living. During this procedure, your own heart is removed and replaced by a new one.
While surgeries and procedures can save your life when you have cardiomyopathy, they are not without side effects. Surgeries and procedures can lead to infections, additional heart problems, blood clots, organ damage, and more.
It was not that long ago when cardiomyopathy was viewed as a death sentence. While the perfect cure remains unavailable, there are lots of medications, surgeries, and other treatment options available for those with cardiomyopathies. While treatment will not always cure your condition, it can hold symptoms at bay and help you live a full and normal life.