Cardiomyopathy, Myocarditis & Pericarditis Flashcards
What is cardiomyopathy?
Refers to diseases of the heart muscle
What are different kinds of cardiomyopathy?
Hypertrophic
Dilated
Restricted
Myocarditis
What are different kinds of pericardial diseases?
Pericarditis
Effusion
What is dilated cardiomyopathy?
Condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood effectively
What is a condition where the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood effectively?
Dilated cariomyopathy
How many chambers are usually affected in dilated cardiomyopathy?
Can be only one chamber but most often all the chambers are affected
Speak about the reversibility of dilated cardiomyopathy?
Most causes are progressive/irreversible but some are reversible
What is the incidence of dilated cardiomyopathy?
5-8/100000
What is not uncommon in chambers for dilated cardiomyopathy?
Thrombosis
Is dilated cardiomyopathy a primary or secondary condition?
Can be primary or as the end result of almost any pathological insult to the myocardium
What is the aetiology of dilated myocardium?
Genetic
Inflammatory
Toxic
Injury
What are examples of genetic causes of dilated myocardium?
SCN5A gene
Muscular dystrophy
What is muscular dystrophy?
Group of muscle diseases that results in the weakening and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time
What are examples of inflammatory causes of dilated myocardium?
Infectious
Autoimmune
Postpartum (following childbirth)
What does postpartum mean?
Following childbirth
What are examples of toxic causes of dilated myocardium?
Drugs
Exogenous chemicals
Postpartum
What are exogenous chemicals?
Ones that originate from outside organism
What are examples of injury causes of dilated myocardium?
Cell loss
Scar replacement
What are some symptoms of dilated myocardium?
Progressive
Slow onset
Dyspnoea
Fatigue
Orthopnoea
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea (PND)
Ankle swelling
Weight gain
Cough
What does PND stand for?
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea
What is paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea (PND)?
Attack of severe shortness of breath and coughing that generally occurs at night
What is an attack of severe shortness of breath and coughing that generally occurs at night called?
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea (PND)
What is often seen in the past medical history for dilated myocardium?
Systemic illness
Travel
Hypertension
Vascular disease
Thyroid
Neuromuscular disease
What does the examination for dilated myocardium often show?
Poor superficial perfusion
Thready pulse
Shortness of breath at rest
Displaced apex
Pulmonary oedema
What investigations are done for cardiomyopathy?
Repeated ECG
Chest X-ray
Basic bloods
Echocardiogram
Cardiac MRI
Coronary angiogram
Sometimes biopsy
What are general measures for the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy?
Correct anaemia
Remove exacerbating drugs (such as NSAIDs)
Correct any endocrine disturbance
Advice on fluid and salt intake (reduce it)
Advice on managing weight to identify fluid overload
What are specific measures for the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy?
ACEI, ATII blockers, diuretics
Beta blockers
Spironolactone
Anticoagulants as required
Cardiac transplant
What is the prognosis for dilated cardiomyopathy like?
Generally poor and often influenced by the causes where known
What is restrictive and infiltrative cardiomyopathy?
Form of cardiomyopathy where the walls of the heart are rigid (but not thickened) causing the heart to be restricted from stretching and filling with blood properly
What is a form of cardiomyopathy where the walls are rigid (but not thickened) causing the heart to be restricted from stretching and filling with blood properly?
Restricted and infiltrative cardiomyopathy
What kind of process is relaxation of the ventricular walls?
Active process that needs functioning intact myocytes
What is the aetiology of restricted cardiomyopathy?
Non-infiltrative
Infiltrative
Storage diseases
Endomyocardial
What are examples of non-infiltrative causes of restricted cardiomyopathy?
Familial
Scleroderma
Diabetic
Pseudoxanthoma elasticum
What are examples of infiltrative causes of restricted cardiomyopathy?
Amyloid
Sarcoid
What are examples of storage disease causes of restricted cardiomyopathy?
Haemachromatosis
Fabry disease
What are endomyocardial causes of restricted cardiomyopathy?
Fibrosis
Carcinoid
Radiation
Drug effects
What investigations are done for restricted cardiomyopathy?
Repeated ECG
Chest X-ray
Basic bloods
Auto antibodies for sclerotic CT diseases
Echocardiogram
Chest MRI
Biopsy more helpful but still has high false negatives