Analyzing Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a hereditary heart disorder and it is distinguished by the increasing thickness of the walls in the heart’s left ventricle. And medically speaking, the left ventricle is the heart’s biggest chamber.

The left ventricle’s main function is to receive oxygenated blood coming from the left atrium. And then it pumps the blood into the heart’s aorta to be distributed to the rest of the body. And with the left ventricle’s walls getting bigger over time, it certainly cannot function properly. The end result is that the other systems of the body won’t be able to receive blood necessary for them to do their corresponding jobs.

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may surface anytime. It is not necessarily observed right at the person’s birth like most congenital heart disease. There are even times some people die of an unknown heart disease all too suddenly, only to find out that they have developed familial hyperthropic cardiomyopathy some time prior.

The symptoms associated to this disease are many, but it is also possible that some patients do not have any observable symptoms at all. Just like in the cases of unknown deaths due to heart problems. The most common symptom of this disease though, is shortness of breath and chest pains. These chest pains, which are more often clinically referred to as angina, could either be brief or continuous, depending upon the severity of the patient’s case.

People with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy would also experience palpitations. Palpitation is when a person suddenly becomes aware of his heart beating. And the beating of his heart maybe too irregular and erratic that a beat or two may be missed or it is the other way around, which means an extra beat, is felt. Aside from these symptoms, lightheadedness, fainting, and fatigue may all be observed.

To detect familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, echocardiography or the heart’s ultrasound, is performed. If doctors found out that the heart wall is outside the maximum thickness acceptable, familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is diagnosed. The normal thickness of the said wall, on the other hand, is only at 19 millimeters.

Cardiac catheterization can also be done. Catheters, or very small tubes, are placed in the heart’s left ventricle and in the receiving aorta. And then the pressure on both structures is measured. The difference between the two numbers will show the doctor whether or not familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is present in the patient and how severe it is.

Aside from these two, cardiac MRI and ECG may also be completed. Some doctors would require a family history of heart disease including any sudden death to aid in their diagnosis. The risk of developing familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is higher if other family members have had it – more so if some have even died from it. And since this disease is hereditary, the 50-50 chance of it being transmitted to the children is there.

To treat familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, medications are first prescribed. Usually, the drugs given are beta-blockers like atenolol, propranolol, and metoprolol. Diuretics and verapamil may also be given. The method of using these drugs to control the disease is called medical therapy. Most patients benefit from it. But for those with advanced cases that the mere taking of medicine won’t cure the disease, a different therapy, called the defibrillator therapy, is conducted.

Defibrillator therapy is the process of implanting devices inside the patient’s heart to decrease the gravity of the disease. The implant is placed on the heart to address the symptoms, as well as the problem diagnosed on the left ventricle.

And if defibrillator therapy is still deemed not going to be of help a patient, a surgery has to be scheduled, of course, with the consent of the patient. The surgery to be performed is called cardiac transplantation. And that is the last resort of the patient when all other options fail.