Get Rescue Of Hereditary Form Of Dilated Cardiomyopathy - Pnas

Treatment for DCM is similar to that of heart failure, and involves taking a set of common medications (e.g. beta-blockers, ACE-inhibitors, diuretics). Because DCM patients may be at higher risk of sudden death from an unstable heart rhythm, they are sometimes given an implantable defibrillator.

About one-third to one-half of patients with idiopathic DCM have a family history of the disease in one or more relatives. These patients are considered to have familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Familial DCM is caused by defective genes that affect the function of the heart muscle.

The life expectancy is limited and varies ing to the underlying etiology with a median survival time of about 5 years after diagnosis.

Mutations in one gene, TTN, account for approximately 20 percent of cases of familial dilated cardiomyopathy. The TTN gene provides instructions for making a protein called titin, which is found in the sarcomeres of many types of muscle cells, including cardiomyocytes.

In fact, most people with HCM have normal life expectancies. Despite these facts, it's important to do everything you can to protect your heart with HCM so that you can reduce your risk of potentially life threatening complications.

Previous studies have demonstrated that patients with DCM have a poor prognosis, with one-year mortality rates of 25% to 30% and five-year mortality rates of approximately 50%.

Treatment for DCM is similar to that of heart failure, and involves taking a set of common medications (e.g. beta-blockers, ACE-inhibitors, diuretics). Because DCM patients may be at higher risk of sudden death from an unstable heart rhythm, they are sometimes given an implantable defibrillator.

It affects men more often than women and tends to occur in adults ages 20 to 60 years old. Some types of DCM are reversible. Symptoms may improve with treatment. Other types of DCM are irreversible, and the damage is permanent.