Cardiomyopathy may be congenital (present at birth) or acquired (meaning it develops during the person’s lifetime).

A person is more likely to develop cardiomyopathy if they have one or more of the following risk factors:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• A condition that previously threatened the heart, such as coronary heart disease or heart attack
• A family history of cardiomyopathy, heart failure or sudden cardiac arrest
• Diabetes or other metabolic disorders
• Obesity
• A virus that damaged the heart
• Alcoholism

What Are the Symptoms of Cardiomyopathy?

Symptoms of cardiomyopathy may start small and feel almost insignificant at first. As time passes, the symptoms worsen over time. They include the following:

• Tiredness, often starting with a lack of energy that eventually feels like total exhaustion
• Shortness of breath, trouble breathing or difficulty catching your breath
• Swelling in the ankles, feet and legs, abdomen and neck

Learn More

To learn about the various types of cardiomyopathies as well as how they may be diagnosed and treated, visit the SecondsCount Cardiomyopathies Center, found here.