About familial congestive cardiomyopathy

What is familial congestive cardiomyopathy?

Pediatric cardiomyopathy is a rare heart condition that affects infants and children. Specifically, cardiomyopathy means disease of the heart muscle (myocardium). Several different types of cardiomyopathy exist and the specific symptoms vary from case to case. In some cases, no symptoms may be present (asymptomatic); in many cases, cardiomyopathy is a progressive condition that may result in an impaired ability of the heart to pump blood; fatigue; heart block; irregular heartbeats (tachycardia); and, potentially, heart failure and sudden cardiac death.

Cardiomyopathy may be termed ischemic or nonischemic. Ischemic cardiomyopathy refers to cases that occur due to a lack of blood flow and oxygen (ischemia) to the heart. Such cases often result from hardening of the arteries (coronary artery disease). Nonischemic cardiomyopathy refers to cases that occur due to structural damage or malfunction of the heart muscle. Nearly all cases of pediatric cardiomyopathy are nonischemic. This report deals with nonischemic pediatric cardiomyopathy.

Cardiomyopathy may also be termed primary or secondary. Primary cardiomyopathy refers to cases where cardiomyopathy occurs by itself or for unknown reasons (idiopathic). Secondary cardiomyopathy refers to cases where the disease occurs secondary to a known cause such as heart muscle inflammation (myocarditis) caused by viral or bacterial infections; exposure to certain toxins such as heavy metals or excessive alcohol use; or certain disorders that affect the heart and/or additional organs systems. According to the Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry, approximately 79 percent of pediatric cardiomyopathy cases occur for unknown reasons (idiopathic).

Nonischemic cardiomyopathy may be further divided into four subtypes based upon the specific changes within the heart. These subtypes are: dilated, hypertrophic, restrictive and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia.

What are the symptoms for familial congestive cardiomyopathy?

Chest symptom was found in the familial congestive cardiomyopathy condition

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition that occurs when the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. The most common type of CHF is called "congestive cardiomyopathy" or "congestive heart failure with preserved ejection fraction."

Symtpoms
Shortness of breath,Fatigue,Swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, or abdomen,Feeling faint or dizzy,Chest pain

Conditions
Diabetes,High blood pressure,Anxiety disorder or stress,Alcoholism,Obesity

Drugs
Sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto),Water pills (diuretics),Digoxin (Lanoxin),Ivabradine (Corlanor),Blood-thinners (anticoagulants)

What are the causes for familial congestive cardiomyopathy?

The exact causes of FCM are unknown, but there are many theories.

  • First, some researchers believe that the condition may be caused by genetic mutations that affect proteins in the heart muscle. These mutations lead to changes in the structure of the heart muscle, which causes it to function poorly and eventually fail.
  • Others think that inherited factors such as gender or age can play a role in whether or not you will develop FCM. For example, if two people have a parent with FCM and then have children together, they may pass on their genes for FCM to their children and cause them to develop this condition as well.
  • The most common cause of FCC is a mutation in the gene called MYBPC3. This mutation causes an excess of a protein called actin to build up inside your cells—and actin plays an important role in muscle contraction and relaxation. In people who have this mutation, these extra actin molecules lead to thickening and stiffness in the walls of the ventricles (the lower chambers) of their hearts.
  • If you have FCC caused by this genetic mutation, your doctor may recommend testing all members of your family who are at risk for this condition (such as children).
Symtpoms
Shortness of breath,Fatigue,Swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, or abdomen,Feeling faint or dizzy,Chest pain

Conditions
Diabetes,High blood pressure,Anxiety disorder or stress,Alcoholism,Obesity

Drugs
Sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto),Water pills (diuretics),Digoxin (Lanoxin),Ivabradine (Corlanor),Blood-thinners (anticoagulants)

What are the treatments for familial congestive cardiomyopathy?

In most cases, there is no cure for familial congestive cardiomyopathy.

Treatments for familial congestive cardiomyopathy are aimed at relieving symptoms, improving quality of life, and preventing the condition from worsening.

  • The main method is to manage the symptoms of the disease by taking medications and performing physical therapy.
    •Some patients may need to have surgery if they have other health conditions that require it or if they have developed complications from familial congestive cardiomyopathy.
  • Medication: Drugs called ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers can help control your symptoms by reducing blood pressure, improving heart function and preventing abnormal heart rhythms. You may also need to take medications to relax your blood vessels or lower your cholesterol levels.
  • Heart failure therapy: In some cases, you might need to have an artificial pacemaker implanted in order to keep a steady heartbeat or an internal defibrillator to treat abnormal heart rhythms.
  • Heart transplantation: If medications aren't effective enough, you may need surgery to replace your heart with one from a donor (this is called heart transplantation).
  • A healthy diet that includes low-sodium foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products
  • Regular exercise every day (at least 30 minutes per day).
  • Losing weight if you are overweight or obese.
Symtpoms
Shortness of breath,Fatigue,Swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, or abdomen,Feeling faint or dizzy,Chest pain

Conditions
Diabetes,High blood pressure,Anxiety disorder or stress,Alcoholism,Obesity

Drugs
Sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto),Water pills (diuretics),Digoxin (Lanoxin),Ivabradine (Corlanor),Blood-thinners (anticoagulants)

What are the risk factors for familial congestive cardiomyopathy?

Congestive cardiomyopathy, or heart failure, is a disease that affects the heart's ability to pump blood throughout the body. It can be caused by high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, excessive alcohol consumption and other factors. Familial congestive cardiomyopathy (FCM) is a rare genetic disorder that causes symptoms similar to heart failure.

  • FCM occurs when there is a defect in one of the genes responsible for producing proteins needed to build muscle cells. This defect causes the muscle fibers in your heart to become weak, which prevents them from contracting normally and pumping blood throughout your body. Over time, this weakness leads to reduced cardiac output and other symptoms associated with congestive cardiomyopathy.
  • The exact cause of FCM is unknown; however, it runs in families and can be inherited from parents who have it themselves or pass on a defective gene to their children through either autosomal dominant inheritance (the child gets one copy of a mutated gene from each parent) or autosomal recessive inheritance (both parents must pass along a copy of a mutated gene).
  • The most common symptom of FCC is shortness of breath during physical activity.
  • The condition can also cause swelling in the legs and abdomen due to fluid build-up around the lungs (pulmonary edema).
Symtpoms
Shortness of breath,Fatigue,Swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, or abdomen,Feeling faint or dizzy,Chest pain

Conditions
Diabetes,High blood pressure,Anxiety disorder or stress,Alcoholism,Obesity

Drugs
Sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto),Water pills (diuretics),Digoxin (Lanoxin),Ivabradine (Corlanor),Blood-thinners (anticoagulants)

Is there a cure/medications for familial congestive cardiomyopathy?

There is no cure for familial congestive cardiomyopathy, but there are treatments that may help reduce the symptoms. There are treatments for familial congestive cardiomyopathy that can help you live a long, healthy life.

  • Medications can help treat irregular heartbeat or arrhythmias, reduce inflammation in your heart, keep blood from clotting too quickly, lower blood pressure and improve blood flow through your body.
  • In addition, doctors recommend lifestyle changes like eating a healthy diet low in sodium, exercising regularly and not smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol excessively.
  • The first line of treatment for familial congestive cardiomyopathy is medications to dilate the blood vessels and reduce fluid retention.
  • Doctors may prescribe beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors, which can reduce the workload on the heart, lower blood pressure, and improve symptoms. Diuretics may also be prescribed to help remove excess fluid from the body.
  • If your doctor determines that surgery is necessary, they will discuss two options with you: heart transplantation or an artificial heart device called an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
  • Heart transplantation takes place when your heart has deteriorated beyond repair and cannot be repaired by medication or other treatments; an ICD is implanted into your chest as a replacement for a failing heart valve or chamber.
Symtpoms
Shortness of breath,Fatigue,Swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, or abdomen,Feeling faint or dizzy,Chest pain

Conditions
Diabetes,High blood pressure,Anxiety disorder or stress,Alcoholism,Obesity

Drugs
Sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto),Water pills (diuretics),Digoxin (Lanoxin),Ivabradine (Corlanor),Blood-thinners (anticoagulants)

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