heart and blood vessel disorders
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Causes of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is nearly always caused by a genetic defect. The defect may be a Spontaneous genetic mutation Inherited genetic defect Very rarely, people acquire hypertrophic cardiomyopathy when they have disorders such as Gigantism and Acromegaly (excessive growth due to overproduction of growth hormone, usually by a noncancerous tumor of the pituitary gland), a The thick, stiff walls of the ventricles do not relax appropriately to allow the heart chambers to fill with blood. This difficulty becomes more severe when the heart beats quickly (as during exercise) because there is then even less time for the heart to fill. Because the heart does not fill properly, it pumps less blood with each beat. Sometimes the thickened heart walls also interfere with blood flow out of the heart. This variation is called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Because the ventricle walls thicken, the mitral valve (the valve that opens between the left atrium and the left ventricle) may be unable to close normally, resulting in leakage of blood back into the left atrium ( Mitral Regurgitation ). This valve leakage and the enlarged ventricular walls typically cause abnormal heart sounds (heart murmurs). Overview of Abnormal Heart Rhythms can occur, which can cause sudden death. 