When Heart Disease Runs in the Family

Treatment TermsCardiomyopathy Overview Anne Goodes knew her heart beat faster than normal, but it wasn ’t until her local cardiologist detected a heart murmur that she discovered she was at risk for sudden cardiac death. At Duke, she learned the cause was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common heart condition that can run in the family. Goodes soon discovered her children may need to take precaution s as well. Hero Image2017_anne_heart_596.jpg Preview Image Content Blocks Header Learning to Live with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy ContentHypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects the cells that make up the heart muscle, said Andrew Wang, MD, a cardiologist who directs the Duke Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinic in Durham, NC. It causes areas of the heart muscle wall to thicken, which makes the muscle work harder and can obstruct the flow of blood exiting the heart. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy often goes undiagnosed because many people have no symptoms. It ' s notorious for causing sudden death in young athletes  but can affect people of all ages.When Goodes, a 55-year-old pediatric physical therapist, first saw Dr. Wang, he recommended she wear a portable monitor to record her heart beats. It documented several episodes of arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, caused by her thickened heart  during a 48-hour period. Because that’s a possible warning sign for sudden cardiac death, he advised that an implantable defibrillator (ICD) be placed under her skin. The batter...
Source: dukehealth.org: Duke Health News - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Source Type: news