Cardiac Muscle Disease |
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Although the vast majority of heart disease in developed countries can be attributed to abnormalities of the coronary arteries and the valves, to congenital abnormalities and to raised blood pressure, there remains an important group of sufferers to whom none of these factors applies. Usually by a process of elimination, it becomes evident that the main problem is the heart muscle itself, and this group of diseases is referred to as cardiomyopathies. These diseases are further subdivided into those which have no obvious cause, and those which arise as a result of some basic disease involving the whole body. In this latter group, the so-called 'secondary, cardiomyopathy', a variety of other abnormalities may be the cause. These include infections, nutritional deficiencies, abnormalities of an endocrine gland, such as an under- or over-active thyroid gland (situated in the front of the neck) or adrenal gland, or the taking of poisonous substances. The most common type of the latter is alcohol, and there is ample evidence - that, while moderate alcohol consumption is - harmless, prolonged and habitual high alcohol intake leads to weakening of the cardiac muscle. Like most things in life, moderation is harmless, excess is not. In the other type of cardiomyopathy, no clear cause can be found. In many patients there is a hereditary tendency, and the abnormality reappears in successive generations to a greater or lesser extent. There are two forms of this disease: one in which the heart muscle becomes physically weak; and the other where, in the absence of an obvious cause, the muscle becomes thickened and overactive. Where a specific cause can be discovered, treatment is directed to removing that cause. |
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