Thickening of the heart is hereditary and is frequently caused by mutations in the genes which encode for proteins in your heart's muscle cells called sarcomeres.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or HCM is most often caused by mutations in genes that are related to your heart's muscle structure called sarcomeres.
Thickening of the heart or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means that a child of an affected parent has a 50 percent chance of inheriting hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or a thickened heart.
A thickened heart or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy also tends to run in families, and genetic testing can also help to identify affected people and assess their risk.
Thickening of the heart or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can also be caused by other factors like high blood pressure, intense athletic training and aortic valve narrowing.
With proper treatment and lifestyle changes you can often live a normal life expectancy with a thickened heart.
Without treatment some people with a thickened heart may only live a few years or so.
Some people with a thickened heart are also more at risk for complications like sudden death or heart failure, although these complications are relatively rare and can be managed most often with preventative treatment.
You can often reverse heart wall thickening, or at least improve the heart wall thickening condition significantly through lifestyle changes and appropriate treatment.
The primary factor in reversing heart wall thickening is the underlying cause of the heart wall thickening.
If the heart wall thickening is a result of high blood pressure, then managing the high blood pressure through lifestyle changes and medication can result in a reduction in the heart wall thickness.
If the cause of the heart wall thickening is a result of hypertensive cardiomyopathy it can also often be reversed with appropriate treatment.
Although the extent and duration of the heart wall thickening also plays a role in the reversal of the heart wall thickening.
Having long standing or severe heart wall thickening can be more challenging to reverse than mild to moderate heart wall thickening.
Heart wall thickening is also known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a heart condition, in which your heart muscle, especially the left ventricle, becomes abnormally thick and stiff.
The thickening of the heart muscle can obstruct blood flow and make it harder for your heart to pump blood effectively, which can lead to various complications.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often caused by genetic mutations and can range from severely debilitating to asymptomatic.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is caused by non familial or genetics.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is mainly caused by inherited genetic mutations, that often affects proteins in your heart muscle's contractile apparatus "sarcomere".
And in some cases hypertrophic cardiomyopathy isn't inherited and might be linked to a combination of genetic factors and environmental factors.
The symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy include chest pain, fainting, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath and palpitations.
In severe cases hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can result in heart failure, stroke and even sudden cardiac death, especially in younger people.
And many people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may not experience any noticeable symptoms.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can also progress at different rates and some people may experience mild symptoms and have a relatively normal life expectancy with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and others may develop severe heart failure or other complications.
The progression of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can also be influenced by factors like the specific genetic mutation, the severity of the heart muscle thickening and the presence of other heart conditions.
Treatment for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy include calcium channel blockers, beta blockers and other drugs to manage the symptoms and improve heart function.
And in some cases surgery such as septal myectomy or alcohol septal ablation may be needed to reduce the thickened heart muscle.