HCM is believed to be underdiagnosed as many people can live their whole lives without knowing they have it. — TNS
It is a mouthful; let’s break it down a little.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a condition where the heart (cardio) muscle (myopathy) becomes thickened (hypertrophied).
HCM is the most common type of genetic cardiomyopathy.
Patients are born with a gene that makes the heart muscle thicker than it should be.
HCM can be a silent disease and some people live their whole lives not knowing they have it.
We sometimes find it by chance during imaging or an autopsy for a separate reason.
However, some patients, at some point in their life, can start experiencing increased heart rhythm issues, which puts these patients at risk of sudden death.
In many cases, the first sign of HCM can be sudden cardiac death.
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Making the right diagnosis at the right time is critical in this condition.
HCM can also create stiffness in the heart muscles and block the outflow of blood from the heart.
These patients come to us with a variety of symptoms, including shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting or dizziness.
It is important to seek medical attention when you have any of these symptoms.
If a young athlete passes out during exercise, for example, it’s important that they get checked by getting an electrocardiogram (ECG) and an echocardiogram.
HCM is not as rare as people think.
Data suggests that one in 200 to 500 people worldwide have HCM.
The problem is that the condition often goes undiagnosed or is missed.
Right now, in the United States, we believe we’ve only diagnosed one out of seven people who have HCM.
We are trying to increase awareness in the community about this disease and make sure that healthcare teams are well educated so that they don’t miss the diagnosis when they look at the imaging of these patients.
It’s important to remember that just because you carry the gene doesn’t mean you will develop HCM.
Some people show signs of HCM at a younger age, i.e. in their teens or 20s, while others can show signs of the disease later in life, e.g. into their 50s.
Knowing your family history and paying close attention to whether anybody in the family was told that they have a thick heart muscle or if a family member suddenly died at a young age, are the kinds of questions that can lead to clues if you have a genetic factor for HCM.
A genetic test is available for those suspected of having HCM and to family members of affected patients.
It can be helpful in ruling out other conditions that may look like HCM in the patient.
My hope is for people to think about it when they see patients with abnormal heart sounds or have symptoms that might suggest this condition.
When treating patients, we should always ask ourselves: “Can this be hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?”
The eyes won’t see what the mind doesn’t know, so it’s always good to have it at the back of your mind.
You really can save people’s lives by diagnosing it early and referring them in a timely fashion.
We have a lot of new treatments that can help these patients surgically or medically, so making the right diagnosis will improve patient survival and their quality of life. – By Dr Said Alsidawi, Mayo Clinic News Network/Tribune News Service
Dr Said Alsidawi is a cardiologist with Mayo Clinic in Arizona, United States.
