Hypertrophe Kardiomyopathie

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is associated with hypertrophy of the left and/or right ventricle. Development of the disease may be based on genetic predispositions. An increased frequency in families can be seen in 50% of cases. Up to 0.2% of the general population are affected. But there is probably a high number of unknown cases because sudden cardiac death is often the first manifestation of HCM. HCM is also the most frequent cause of sudden deaths among adolescents and athletes. Symptoms can be very different. Most patients have no or mild clinical signs, but symptoms of diastolic heart failure are possible. Diagnosis is based on ECG, 24 hour ECG, echocardiography, cardiac catheter, and other methods. For treatment drugs like beta blockers or calcium antagonists can be helpful. Other therapeutic options are a percutaneous septal myocardial ablation. In case of left ventricular dilatation prognosis is relatively poor. Overall mortality per year is estimated up to 2% for adults and up to 4 to 6% for children.