“What is the treatment for cardiomyopathy?”
My father has been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. He is also a diabetic and a hypertension patient. My father barely tells me anything because he doesn't want to worry me, but I just want to know to calm down my nerves. What will be his course of treatment?
4 Answers
The treatment is mainly medication to reduce the work the heart has to do, by keeping the blood pressure on the low side of normal (110/70). He should also diet to improve his diabetic control, at least strictly enough to not be overweight. With effective treatment his heart may be stable for many years.
I don’t exactly know the type and the etiology of cardiomyopathy which your father has.Because of his diabetes mellitus I suspect he has the most common type which is the ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy caused by coronary artery disease.
The condition suggests the following:
1-low ejection fraction ( impaired heart pump function)
2-congestive heart failure (shortness of breath, cough, ,edema, weakness,easy fatigue, anemia, pallor,......)
3- Enlarged heart size.
4-Arrhythmia (Electrical disturbances)
If the left ventricular ejection fraction has been less than 35% for at least 3 months there is an increase of sudden death, especilly if that caused by coronary artery disease ,prior heart attack ........etc.usually implanted defibrillator is recommend.
Fortunately the modern therapy and with regular monitoring for patients with this condition is very effective and it prolongs life.
You need to know what is the cause of his condition and the ejection fractions......etc if he wish to share it with you
The condition suggests the following:
1-low ejection fraction ( impaired heart pump function)
2-congestive heart failure (shortness of breath, cough, ,edema, weakness,easy fatigue, anemia, pallor,......)
3- Enlarged heart size.
4-Arrhythmia (Electrical disturbances)
If the left ventricular ejection fraction has been less than 35% for at least 3 months there is an increase of sudden death, especilly if that caused by coronary artery disease ,prior heart attack ........etc.usually implanted defibrillator is recommend.
Fortunately the modern therapy and with regular monitoring for patients with this condition is very effective and it prolongs life.
You need to know what is the cause of his condition and the ejection fractions......etc if he wish to share it with you
The therapy depends on the cause. Usually, we start with diuretics, beta blockers, and ACE inhibitors.
Julia G. Ansari
Cardiologist
It is very important to differentiate if it is ischemic or non ischemic. Meaning does he have coronation disease or not. If he has coronary disease, that needs to be treated with either stent or bypass surgery depending on degree of blockage plus medication. If it is not ischemic, then medications would be the only chance of recovery plus, if there are risk factors discharged as drinking or doing drugs, that has to be stopped. Depending on what is his ejection fraction, he needs a defibrillator if ef is less than 35%, but that would only occur after medical therapy had been initiated for a period of time.
