The disease that primarily affects the myocardium (muscle) of the heart. Cardiomyopathy is a general term for a group of non-inflammatory heart diseases, of known or unknown etiology, in which the heart muscle is affected by dilatation /relaxation and expansion of the myocardium/, hypertrophy /increase in the size of the myocardium/, fibrosis and degeneration. Two main categories of the disease include ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy . Ischemic cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart muscle is damaged by a heart attack; non-ischemic cardiomyopathy is caused by other factors. Cardiomyopathies are divided into primary - when the cause is not clarified, and secondary - when they are the result of another disease, the etiology is clear. Depending on the changes in the myocardium, dilatative, hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathy are distinguished. Examples of secondary cardiomyopathies are alcoholic cardiomyopathy , thyrotoxic, diabetic, etc.
Symptoms of cardiomyopathy are characterized by easy fatigue, shortness of breath, palpitations, limited physical capacity, pain behind the sternum and syncope /temporary loss of consciousness/. It should be known that cardiomyopathy may not cause any symptoms and complaints for many years, but may be discovered quite by chance, during an examination for another disease. Certain supplements can help support heart function, such as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and L Carnitine.
