Cardiomyopathy doesn’t just affect older people

DILATED cardiomyopathy, one of the factors in singer George Michael’s death on Christmas Day, is just one form of this heart condition that affects children and adults, with multiple causes.

There are a number of different types of cardiomyopathy — the three main ones are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

“HCM is an inherited disease, where the muscle wall of your heart becomes thickened and stiff. This makes it harder for the heart to pump blood out and around your body. Common symptoms include chest pain, palpitations, light headedness and fainting,” explains British Heart Foundation’s Emily Reeve.

“DCM is a disease of your heart muscle, where it becomes stretched, thin and ‘baggy’. Like HCM, this means the heart’s unable to pump blood around your body efficiently. In most cases, DCM develops slowly, so some people can have quite severe symptoms before they’re diagnosed. The most common being shortness of breath, swelling of the ankles and abdomen, excessive tiredness and palpitations.

“ARVC affects the cells of the heart muscle that are held together by proteins. In people with ARVC, these proteins do not develop properly and so cannot keep the heart muscle cells together. Muscle cells become detached and fatty deposits build up to try to repair the damage.

“Keeping your heart healthy, whatever your age, is the most important thing to help prevent and manage heart disease that isn’t inherited. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, don’t smoke and exercise regularly.”

Call BHF’s Heart Helpline on 0300 330 3311. Visit www.bhf.org.uk