How Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Progresses in Adults

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common form of genetic heart disease worldwide. Researchers have estimated that up to 1 in 200 people have the condition, which is characterized by an abnormal thickening of the walls of the heart. This thickening can make it difficult for the heart to pump blood. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be a deadly disease, and there was a time when it was largely untreatable. But the last 20 years have witnessed a sea change in the condition’s management—a change that has led to an estimated 10-fold decrease in deaths. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has this reputation that it’s difficult to live with, and that the outlook is grim,” says Dr. Barry Maron, a cardiologist and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy specialist at Beth Israel Lahey Health in Burlington, Mass. “That used to be true, but there have been huge advances in clinical care and clinical research, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is now characterized very differently.” “The reality,” he adds, “is that very few people die of the disease, and fully half of patients belong in a group we consider benign and stable.” Here, Maron and other experts describe what it’s like to live with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. They explain the different stages or forms of the disease, how and why it progresses, and how treatment may evolve over time. They also talk about the outloo...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized freelance healthscienceclimate Source Type: news