Cardiomyopathy – British Heart Foundation

Types of cardiomyopathy

There are three main types of inherited cardiomyopathy:

Another type of cardiomyopathy, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, can be caused by extreme stress. This type is not passed on through families and often disappears in time.

Other, specialised types of cardiomyopathy include:

You can find more information about these conditions on Cardiomyopathy UKs website.

The changes to yourheartare different for each type of cardiomyopathy and can affect people differently. They all affect the structure of your heart and reduce its ability to pump blood around the body. They can also affect the way the electrical system makes your heart beat.

You can read more about how each type of cardiomyopathy affects you and your heart on the pages listed on the right.

Watch Deb's story on living with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Although inherited cardiomyopathy cannot be cured, in most cases living with it will not affect your quality or length of life. There are many effective treatments that can help you control your symptoms such as:

Your GP or cardiologist will be able to let you know what treatments are right for you. You may also need to make some lifestyle changes such as cutting down on the amount of alcohol you drink.

A small number of people with cardiomyopathy do experience significant symptoms which affect their life and their familys lives. In some cases, there is a small risk of sudden arrhythmic death (SADS). It's important to discuss this risk with your doctor. They may offer medication or advise that you need an ICD fitted if you are at an increased risk.

Because cardiomyopathies can be inherited, you should speak to your doctor about screening for your family. Its important that families affected by cardiomyopathy receive accurate assessment, diagnosis, treatment and support from specialists.

You can also talk to one of our cardiac nurses about screening for you and your family on our Genetic Information Service on 0300 456 8383. Lines are open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday (charged at a similar rate to 01 or 02 calls).

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Cardiomyopathy - British Heart Foundation