Cardiomyopathies are a complex and essential group of heart muscle
diseases with diverse etiologies and heterogenous phenotypic expressions, often
leading to progressive heart failure (muscular or electrical dysfunction) of the heart
with significant morbidity and mortality. In some cases, cardiomyopathies can be
asymptomatic in the early stages of the disease with symptoms (fatigue, shortness of
breath, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, orthopnea, edema, and cough) characteristically
similar to any heart failure. Estimated to occur in 3% of the general population
worldwide, knowledge and the understanding of these diseases in both the general
public and the medical communities have historically been impaired by periodic
confusion surrounding definitions and terminologies. Cardiomyopathies may be
primary (i.e., genetic, acquired, or mixed) or secondary (e.g., toxic inflammatory, and
infiltrative). Major types include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, restrictive
cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular
cardiomyopathy. Relieving symptoms of heart failure and decreasing hospitalization
rates of cardiac failure are therapeutic aims of cardiomyopathy.
Keywords: Arrhythmia, Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, Cardiomyopathy,
Classification, Dilated cardiomyopathy, Heart failure, Heart transplantation,
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Implantable cardioverter defibrillator, Myocardial
diseases, Restrictive cardiomyopathy, Sudden death.
