I42: Cardiomyopathy

I42.2: Other hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

The heart pumps blood through the body. Inside the heart are 4 chambers. There are 2 heart atria and 2 ventricles. Both heart atria and both ventricles are separated from each other by a partition. The heart is composed of a thick muscle layer and a thin membrane inside the heart. An external sac, the pericardium, surrounds the heart. This sac consists of a protective membrane.

Your heart muscle is thicker than normal. If, for example, the heart has to pump against a high pressure, it gets thicker. This is fine, too, to a certain extent. But if the heart gets too thick, it is no longer able to beat powerfully, and less blood passes through.

The symptoms depend on how much the heart muscle is changed. For example, if the heart can no longer properly fill with blood, the blood may accumulate in the body. The legs can then swell up or other organs are damaged. If the heart is no longer able to pump vigorously, you may feel tired or get shortness of breath. If the heart is damaged, it may also have an irregular beat.