A Short Note On Cardiomyopathy And Humans And Canines

Symptoms of congestive heart failure consist of fatigue, dependent edema, fluid build-up in the lungs, increase in urination because of the extra fluid, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite (Fundukian, 2011).  Diagnosis of CHF is done first by physical examination, such as heart rate, and heart sounds or murmurs. If a physician believes more tests are needed, common ones include an electrocardiogram or chest x-ray to detect previous heart attacks, arrhythmia, or heart enlargement, and echocardiogram using ultrasound to image the heart muscle, valves, and blood flow patterns. The physician may also want to do a heart catheterization, to allow the arteries of the heart to be visualized using angiography. Upon getting a diagnosis of CHF, the physician will usually start with asking the patient to change things in their diet, such going to a low sodium diet. They may also want to prescribe medications. Types of medications could include angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which block formation of angiotensin II hormone, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) to block the action of angiotensin II at the receptor site, and diuretics, just to name a few (Fundukian, 2011).

Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a disease that mainly affects the apex of the heart and does not cause any obstruction. [1] These abnormalities in the heart muscle can cause a wide variety of symptoms. As the heart becomes stiff it increases the pressure in the left ventricle which can push blood back into the lungs, causing shortness of breath in exercise. Chest pain can occur as there is not enough oxygen available to the cardiac muscle due to insufficient blood supply. Palpitations and lightheadedness, along with other conditions can occur as a result of HCM. In addition to these discomforting symptoms, the patient may develop an arrhythmias that often goes unnoticed. An arrhythmia takes place as the electrical conduction of the heart is disturbed by the abnormal scattering of myocytes. The two most common arrhythmias are atrial fibrillation causing palpitations, and ventricular tachycardia that can be life threatening causing sudden death. Both conditions can be controlled with medication. [4]

Cardiomyopathies can be caused by genetic disorders/defects, viral illness, some endocrine conditions, autoimmune diseases, and excessive use of alcohol and drugs. Pharmacology treatment of diagnosed LVSD is predominately the same, although it is recognised

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a chronic dysfunction of the heart’s ability to effectively pump blood throughout the body. Left-sided heart failure is the most common and there are two main types: systolic and diastolic. In simple terms, diastolic heart failure occurs when the left ventricle still pumps effectively, but doesn’t move as much blood as it should due to a filling problem. Systolic heart failure, on the other hand, occurs when the left ventricle does not pump as forcefully as it should, and therefore less blood makes it into circulation per contraction. Researchers and physicians alike are moving away from the classifications of systolic and diastolic as problems with one can produce abnormalities with the other. Instead, they are moving to classifying heart failure as having normal or impaired left ventricular ejection fraction. Impaired ejection fraction (<40%) would be

Dilated cardiomyopathy is thought to have many different causes. Some of the causes are thought to be: “Genetic conditions, long-term high blood pressure, heart tissue damage from a previous heart attack, chronic rapid heart rate, drinking too much alcohol over the years and certain infection” (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015). Cardiomyopathy has been seen in a wide range of individuals; there is no clear age distinction and may be passed on genetically or not.

The major causes of diastolic heart failure are hypertension-induced myocardial hypertrophy and myocardial ischemia-induced ventricular transformation (coronary artery disease). Hypertrophy and ischemia cause a decreased ability of the myocytes to actively pump calcium from the cytosol, resulting in impaired relaxation. Some of the other causes are aortic valvular disease and cardiomyopathies. Diabetes can also lead to diastolic heart failure (Huether and McCune 2012). Other risk factors for this disease are chronic kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and older age. There are two types of the heart failure: systolic heart failure and diastolic heart failure. In systolic heart failure, the left ventricle has difficulty contracting and ejecting blood into the circulation, which causes reduced left ventricular fraction. On the other hand, diastolic heart failure has a slow and delayed relaxation and increased chamber rigidity, which then causes inadequate filling of blood and

Risk for having CAD or established CAD, previous MI or heart failure with decreased ejection fraction and ventricular arrhythmias are the known risk factors for SCD[17, 136]. The estimated incidence rate of SCD in infants, children, adolescents, and young adults is about 1.3 to 8.5 per 100,000 patient/years [137] but it still costs to thousands life per year. Sudden infant death syndrome accounting for approximately 10% of the crib death is believed to be due to cardiac arrhythmia or long QT syndrome [138]. A study suggest that out of 158 deaths of American athletes, 30% were due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 13% due to abnormal blood circulation, 10% due to increased cardiac mass due to cardiomyopathy [139]. Another study suggest 20% death due to CAD and 10% deaths due to right ventricular cardiomyopathy/ dysplasia in young population [140]. Patients suffering from SCD with normal heart or without any cardiac disease history, on autopsy show structural abnormalities. Sudden unexplained deaths are also a major concern in epidemiology of SCD and careful post-mortem and histological examination can play a vital role [17]. In a study with 270 autopsies 55 were found to have structural heart disease and a specific cause for death were found in 180 cases with 65% having CAD, 14% with congenital anomalies and 11% with myocarditis. Left

There are many causes of heart failure. Among them is a reduction in the contractile ability of the heart due to mechanical problems or any problem that limits the filling capacity of the heart chambers with blood due to any form of cardiomyopathy. Whatever the cause, the patient’s tissues are compromised because they cannot receive an adequate amount of oxygen necessary to perform optimally (Bui, Horwich, & Fonarow, 2010).

Mitral Valve disease is the most common heart disease in dogs, it is responsible for 75% of heart disease in dogs. It is thought to be genetic and is more common in smaller breeds, especially in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels where it is the leading cause of death, it can also effect larger breeds.

Cardiomyopathy is a type of progressive heart disease in which the heart is abnormally enlarged, thickened, and/or stiffened. As a result, the heart muscle's ability to pump blood is weakened, often causing heart failure and the backup of blood into the lungs in rest of the body. The disease can also cause abnormal heart rhythms. Some say having a big heart is a good thing but only in certain situations.There a 3 types of Cardiomyopathy and they are: Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood efficiently. This disease affects the lungs, liver, and other body systems. Another is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a primary disease of the myocardium, in which a portion of the myocardium

2002), then, to the late stage which is presented with systolic dysfunction or heart failure (Boudina et al. 2007;Boudina et al. 2010). The first stage of DCM is clinically asymptomatic, but the second stage of DCM is characterized by diastolic dysfunction (including: ventricular hypertrophy and stiffness, high end-diastolic pressure and volume) (Connelly et al. 2008;van et al. 2008) and cardiac inter-cellular matrix remodeling (including: an accumulation of insoluble type VI collagen and a deposition of fibrous tissue) (Khaidar et al. 1994;Spiro et al. 1993). Several mechanisms contribute to ventricular stiffness in diabetic heart mainly due to sustained hyperglycemia that promotes formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) (Bodiga et al. 2014), all of which are cross-linking with extracellular matrix proteins including collagen and elastin, leading to a change in the histological properties and eventually impairing cardiac relaxation (Candido et al. 2003;Liu et al. 2003;Vasan et al. 2003). The prevalence of diastolic dysfunction is several times higher in patients with T2DM than in age and sex-matched healthy populations (From et al. 2010;von and St John et al. 2010). From a clinical standpoint, DCM is defined as the presence of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in diabetic subjects in the absence of

Cardiopulmonary diseases can include an enormous variety of diseases. It covers all the diseases of the heart and the lungs. Respirations and blood pressure go hand in hand which is why this category is included together. The following paper is on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, specifically focusing on the pediatric population, and even more narrowing on athletes. This is a growing area of concern in the medical field due to the undetected Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in athletes until a Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). Shockingly many athletes are instantly dying on the soccer field and basketball courts not even aware there is a cardiac issue until it is too late. The following paragraphs will explore what is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, who is affected, how it can be detected and what can be done to lower the SCD incidents in young athletes.

The patient’s chart did not state which type of cardiomyopathy he had a history of, but there are four types of cardiomyopathies. Dilated cardiomyopathy is when both heart ventricles are dilated and the heart’s pumping function is impaired because the ventricular walls stretch out to very thin widths (Dechant, 2016). Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is where the walls of the ventricles thicken and grow inwards, and could impair the outflow of blood when the heart contracts (Dechant, 2016). Restrictive cardiomyopathy is when the ventricles stiffen in elasticity, restricting the inflow of blood into the ventricles at rest (Dechant, 2016). Finally, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy could involve either ventricle and is when the myocardial tissue is replaced by fatty tissue, impairing overall ventricular function (Dechant, 2016).

Choice “D” is the best answer choice. Patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) often present at an advanced stage of disease with the pronounced cardiopulmonary symptoms of CHF. Patients usually complain of gradually worsening shortness of breath, progressive exercise intolerance, and fatigue. Fatigue and weakness are results of decreased stroke volume and cardiac output. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea may be reported. Right-sided congestive features are often prominent and patients may have distention of the abdomen secondary to ascites, and frequently have profound bilateral peripheral edema. Abdominal discomfort or liver tenderness may be reported. Chest pain secondary to angina or chest pain mimicking myocardial ischemia can be observed,

There are dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and restrictive cardiomyopathy. [3] The first type is dilated cardiomyopathy, which is the most common type. In this type left ventricle becomes enlarged and forceless to push the blood out the heart [3] This type can affect people of all ages. [3] According to Mayo clinic "Although this type can affect people of all ages, it occurs most often in middle-aged people and is more likely to affect men." [3]