Dr. Amit

Cardiomyopathy includes diseases involving the heart muscle. These diseases have various causes, types, symptoms and modes of treatment.

The heart muscle gets enlarged, thick or rigid. In several cases, the heart muscle tissue is replaced with a scar tissue. As this condition worsens, the heart gets weaker and the ability to pump blood is disrupted, which can cause heart failure or irregular beating of the heart. The weakened state of the heart can lead to valvar diseases.

The different types of cardiomyopathy are:

• Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: This is a common form and affects people of all ages. Men and women are affected equally. This condition arises due to the enlargement and thickening of the heart muscle. The ventricles, the septum and the lower heart chamber usually thicken, which causes obstruction in pumping of blood by the heart. This disease also causes stiffness in the ventricles, and cellular changes in the tissue.
• Dilated Cardiomyopathy: This form of cardiomyopathy develops due to the enlargement and weakening of the ventricles. The issue arises from the left ventricle and develops over time. It may even affect the right ventricle. More effort is put in by the heart muscles for pumping blood and slowly the heart is unable to pump blood effectively. This condition may lead to heart failure, valve diseases or blood clots in the heart.
• Restrictive Cardiomyopathy: This disease occurs due to the stiffening of the ventricles, without thickening of the walls of the heart. The ventricles are not allowed to relax and do not receive a sufficient volume of blood supply. This condition causes heart failure and valvar problems over time.
• Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia: This rare form of cardiomyopathy occurs when fat or fibrous tissues replace the muscle tissue of the right ventricle. This causes arrhythmias and disruption in the electrical signals of the heart. It generally affects teens and may cause cardiac arrest in athletes.
• Unclassified Cardiomyopathy: Some types of cardiomyopathy of this category include left ventricular non compaction where the ventricles develop trabeculations. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is another disease where immense stress causes failure of the heart muscles.

Treatment: Many cases of cardiomyopathy come and go away on their own. Treatment for other cases depends on the severity and symptoms. The major treatment methods are:
Lifestyle changes meant for a healthier heart.

• Medication.
• Nonsurgical methods.
• Surgery and implants

Modes of surgery for treatment of cardiomyopathy include:

• Septal myectomy
• Heart transplant

Implant devices such as Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device, Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), Left ventricular assist device and pacemakers are fitted into the heart for better performance.

Cardiomyopathy can be of many different types, each arising from different situations and conditions. The mode of treatment depends on the severity of the complication or on the basis of symptoms.

After the 3rd month gets completed, you will have to make less frequent trips to the loo.

Pregnancy is a time when your body undergoes a plethora of changes, both emotionally and physically. In such a situation, an acute liver failure only triggers further complications, threatening to affect both the mother and the fetus. The ambit of liver diseases range from mild complications to those that can be life threatening. Acute liver failure or ALF, as it is commonly known as in medical parlance is a condition which is caused when then there is a sudden impairment of the ability of the blood to clot. In spite of the erratic nature of the ailment and its ability to affect anybody with a complete disregard of the individual's pre-existing history of liver problems, there are certain causes that are said to propel it. Some of them are:

• Eclampsia with liver infraction: This is an extremely rare condition. Generally, eclampsia refers to the occurrence of convulsions in pregnant women, mostly in those who suffer from high blood pressure. Those women who suffer from eclampsia along with liver infraction are more susceptible to have a liver failure.
• Hepatic rupture: Much like eclampsia, hepatic rupture is also caused in women who have high blood pressure. This heightens the risk of an impending liver failure in pregnant women.
• Fatty liver: Sometimes excess of fat develops in the liver deterring its functioning. This is not only detrimental to your health but also poses a great danger in triggering a liver failure.

In spite of these, there have been multiple treatments which have developed to manage and curb it. Some of them are:

• Remedial measure for coagulation: The inability of blood to clot blood is known as coagulation which is extremely fatal and one of the primary causes that leads to liver failure. Therefore timely and potent intervention of medicine is important to prevent that and in turn diminish the possibility of liver failure.
• Volume replacement: Volume replacement refers to the condition where fluids are resuscitated or replenished into the body, those that were lost but at the same time are mandatory for the proper functioning of the body.