Dilated Cardiomyopathy -

Dubai Cardiology Clinic

What Is Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)?

By definition it is a disease affects heart muscle, The heart muscle of left ventricle become thin wall and dilated with poor contractility and could not push the blood properly overall the body.

How DCM manifests?

      First of all, it may be symptom free, but when the disease developed heart failure it manifests by:

• Shortness of breath on exertion then at rest.
• Fatigue
• Palpitation
• Feeling dizzy or syncopal attacks
• Cough looks like bronchitis
• Weight gain or leg swelling
• Abdominal distension and indigestion.

What are the causes of dilated cardiomyopathy?

• It is familiar in 20 -50 % of cases. Underlying genetic disease run in: parents- siblings – aunt/uncle or cousins.
• Myocarditis mainly viral like common cold
• Chemotherapy and metabolic disease.
• Idiopathic which involve the majority of patient.

Diagnosis: it depends on

• Medical history: easy fatiguability and exercise intolerance – rhythm disturbance.
• Family history of cardiomyopathy, rhythm abnormalities, sudden cardiac death, cardiac surgery in relatives.
• Physical examination which shows leg edema – hepatomegaly – rales - elevated JVP.
• Cardiac testing auscultation heart murmur or irregularity of heart beats, ECG changes, Echocardiography which is diagnostic by showing dilated left ventricle with poor contractility,
• Cardiac catheter and heart muscle biopsy.

Is DCM treatable?

            Yes, definitely it is, the primary goal is to improve cardiac function and relieve symptoms.

Dilated cardiomyopathy needs to followed by cardiologist on regular basis.

Medication are used to treat symptoms, reverse heart damage and to prevent further deterioration of cardiac performance.

Medications like beta blockers (bisolol, nebivolol…) – ACEI (perindopril, enalapril…) –

diuretics ( frusemide – chlorthalidone – spironolactone).

 In advanced cases we insert some new instrument like ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) and CRT (cardiac resynchronization therapy).