About Dilated Cardiomyopathy
The New York Center for Rare Diseases supports the mission and guidelines of the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD). The following information is provided by the NIH.
Summary
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the heart muscle which primarily affects the heart's main pumping chamber, the left ventricle. It is the most common type of cardiomyopathy. The left ventricle of affected individuals becomes enlarged (dilated) and cannot pump blood to the body with as much force as a healthy heart can. The heart muscle also has difficulty contracting normally, which can lead to irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia), blood clots, or sudden death. Over time, the heart becomes weaker and heart failure can occur. While the cause of dilated cardiomyopathy is often unknown (idiopathic), some cases are acquired and roughly half are inherited or familial. Also, DCM can be a feature of many genetic syndromes. Familial dilated cardiomyopathy is most often inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. Familial dilated cardiomyopathy is caused by genetic changes in several different genes, most commonly in the TTN gene (found in about 20% of cases).