Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
(HCM)
Symptoms
If blood flow is obstructed due to a thickened heart muscle, a number of symptoms may result, including the following:
- Shortness of breath during physical activity (heart failure)
- Fainting (syncope) with activities
- Dizziness
- Chest pain (angina), which is caused by a reduced supply of blood to the heart
- Abnormal heart rhythms, which in some cases, can lead to sudden death unless the heart is electrically “shocked” to restart a normal rhythm
- Heart murmur, which is a whooshing sound that your doctor may hear through a stethoscope
Sometimes a patient will have no symptoms but may suddenly experience cardiac arrest. For this reason, even those without symptoms need to be followed up regularly to assess their risks for sudden death and to consider preventive treatments.