cardiomyopathy
[kahr″de-o-mi-op´ah-the] a general diagnostic term designating primary myocardial disease.
alcoholic cardiomyopathy a congestive cardiomyopathy resulting in cardiac enlargement and low cardiac output occurring in chronic
alcoholics; the heart disease in
beriberi (thiamine deficiency) is also associated with alcoholism.
congestive cardiomyopathy a syndrome characterized by cardiac enlargement, especially of the left ventricle, myocardial dysfunction, and
congestive heart failure.
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy an increase in heart muscle weight, particularly of the left ventricle and often involving the interventricular septum; it may affect the flow of blood from an atrium into the ventricle or out from the ventricle. This type of cardiomyopathy is frequently associated with
idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis. Called also
asymmetrical septal hypertrophy.
infiltrative cardiomyopathy myocardial disease resulting from deposition in the heart tissue of abnormal substances, as may occur in amyloidosis, hemochromatosis, and other disorders.
primary cardiomyopathy that in which the basic pathologic process involves the myocardium itself and not other cardiac structures; the condition is of unknown etiology and not part of a disease affecting other organs.
restrictive cardiomyopathy a form in which the ventricular walls are excessively rigid, impeding ventricular filling; it is marked by abnormal diastolic function but normal or nearly normal systolic function.
secondary cardiomyopathy any form that is due to another cardiovascular disorder or is a manifestation of a systemic disease such as sarcoidosis.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.