Cardiomyopathy is a disease that weakens and enlarges the heart muscle, making it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body. It can disrupt the heart’s rhythm, and cause extra fluid to build up around the lungs and body.

There are several different types of cardiomyopathy, which lead to different symptoms and treatments.

  • Dilated cardiomyopathy, which is the most common type for kids, makes the heart muscle thinner
  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) makes the heart muscle thicker
  • Restrictive cardiomyopathy makes the heart muscle stiffer
  • Other rare types

Whatever its type, cardiomyopathy is a serious condition. While there’s usually no cure, there are ways to treat it. Connecticut Children’s experts use advanced heart imaging, including cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to see detailed pictures of how the heart is functioning and make the right plan for each patient’s care.

Since cardiomyopathy can be caused by certain cancer treatments, Connecticut Children’s Heart Center works closely with our Center for Cardio-Oncology, where specialists detect and prevent heart damage in cancer survivors.

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What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Cardiomyopathy?

At first, cardiomyopathy may not cause any symptoms. As the disease gets worse, so do its symptoms.

  • In infants, poor feeding
  • In infants, poor weight gain
  • Heart murmur
  • Heart beat that’s too fast, too slow or irregular
  • Chest pain or discomfort
  • Fast breathing or trouble breathing
  • Feeling very tired
  • Dizziness or passing out
  • Swelling in the legs, ankles and feet
  • Swelling in the belly
     

What Causes Cardiomyopathy?

For the most part, doctors don’t know exactly what causes cardiomyopathy. In some patients, there may be a link to the following risk factors.

  • Taking certain medications to treat cancer
  • Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
  • Family history of cardiomyopathy
  • Pregnancy complications
  • Infections, ex. COVID-19
  • Metabolic disorders, ex. diabetes
  • Poor nutrition
  • Contact with poisonous chemicals
  • Heart valve problems
  • Damage from a heart attack

But cardiomyopathy also occurs in patients without any of the above risk factors.

How is Cardiomyopathy Treated?

Treatment depends on the type and seriousness of each case.

  • Medication to help the heart work better, lower blood pressure and/or get rid of extra fluid in the lungs and body
  • Ventilator to help with breathing
     

Often, treatment is non-surgical, focused on what’s causing the cardiomyopathy and keeping the heart as healthy as possible. But in extreme situations, patients may need surgery.

  • Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD): Device placed in the chest to watch for and control abnormal heart rhythms
  • Pacemaker: Device placed in chest to control the heart beat
  • Ventricular assist device (VAD): Open-heart surgery to place a VAD in the heart to help pump blood to the rest of the body
  • In serious cases, heart transplant