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Ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrest in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

INTRODUCTION

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an autosomal dominant genetic disease of the cardiac sarcomere, caused by mutations in one of several genes, most of which encode components of the contractile apparatus. (See "Genetics of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy".)

HCM is characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy of various morphologies, with a wide array of clinical manifestations and hemodynamic abnormalities (figure 1). Depending in part upon the site and extent of cardiac hypertrophy, HCM patients can develop one or more of the following abnormalities:

These structural and functional abnormalities can produce a variety of symptoms, including:

  • Fatigue
  • Dyspnea
  • Chest pain
  • Palpitations
  • Presyncope or syncope

                              

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Literature review current through: Apr 2013. | This topic last updated: Mar 1, 2012.
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