Dilated cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a serious condition that weakens your heart muscle and causes it to stretch, or dilate. When your heart muscle is weak, it can't pump out blood as well as it should. More blood stays in your heart after each heartbeat. As more blood fills and stays in the heart, the heart muscle stretches even more and gets even weaker.

If your heart gets weaker, you may develop heart failure. This doesn't mean that your heart stops pumping. It means that your heart can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs.

You may not have any symptoms at first. Or you may have mild symptoms, such as feeling very tired or weak.

If your heart gets weaker, you may develop heart failure. If this happens, you will feel other symptoms, including:

• Shortness of breath, especially with activity.
• Tiredness.
• Trouble breathing when you lie down.
• Swelling in your legs.

You may get these symptoms slowly, over months or years. Or you may get them suddenly, such as after pregnancy or an illness caused by a virus.

Your doctor will ask questions about your symptoms and past health. He or she will want to know about recent illnesses and about heart disease in your family. Your doctor will listen to your heart and lungs and will check your legs for fluid buildup.

You may also have other tests. These include:

• An electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG or EKG.
• A chest X-ray.
• An echocardiogram.
• Cardiac catheterization.
• An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
• Blood tests.

In some cases, a doctor may want to look at a small sample of heart tissue, called a biopsy, to make a definite diagnosis.

Treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy focuses on relieving your symptoms, improving heart function, and helping you live longer. You may also have treatment for the cause of the cardiomyopathy.

You will probably need to take several medicines. They include:

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs).

These make it easier for blood to flow.

Diuretics.

These help remove excess fluid from the body.

Beta-blockers.

These slow the heart rate and can help the heart fill with blood more completely.

It's very important to take your medicines exactly as your doctor tells you to. And make sure to keep taking them. If you don't, your heart function could get worse.

Your doctor may suggest a mechanical device to help your heart pump blood or to prevent life-threatening irregular heart rhythms. These devices include:

• A pacemaker for heart failure (also called cardiac resynchronization therapy or CRT).
• An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
• A combination pacemaker and ICD.

If your condition is very bad, a heart transplant may be an option.

Self-care is an important part of your treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy. Self-care includes the things you can do every day to feel better, stay healthy, and avoid the hospital. For example:

Take your medicines as prescribed.

This gives you the best chance of being helped by them.

Live a healthy lifestyle.

Eat heart-healthy foods, be active, stay at a healthy weight, and don't smoke. Manage other health problems. Get vaccinated against COVID-19, the flu, and pneumonia.

Watch for signs that you're getting worse.

Weighing yourself every day to watch for sudden weight gain is a good way to do this.