Helen V. Firth

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)

What is Dilated Cardiomyopathy? Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle. Dilated means enlarged, cardio concerns the heart and a myopathy is a muscular disease. Dilated cardiomyopathy means that the left ventricle becomes stretched and ‘floppy’. DCM weakens the heart muscle so that it works less efficiently and cannot pump enough blood to the lungs and around the body. This can lead to breathlessness and fluid to build up within the body. What Causes Dilated Cardiomyopathy? It is not always certain what causes DCM and it can develop at any age. Sometimes dilated cardiomyopathy can be inherited; sometimes it can develop from viral infections, certain medicines, or from autoimmune diseases for example. How it can affect your child: • Shortness of breath/tiredness: because the heart is weak, muscles may not receive enough blood to allow your child to run around without quickly becoming exhausted. • Swelling (oedema): You may notice fluid building up around the ankles/abdomen or other body parts. • Changes in the heart muscle may interfere with the electrical activity that regulates the heartbeat. Your child may feel that his/her heart is beating too quickly (tachycardia) or too slowly (bradycardia). • Blood flows more slowly through the heart and this can allow blood clots to form that could cause damage to the lungs, brain or other organs. Your child may need to be treated with anticoagulant medication (Warfarin for example) to prevent such clots from forming. [Fig 1 – Dilated Cardiomyopathy]