Cardiomyopathies (heart muscle diseases) in children are the focus of a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association that provides insight into the diagnosis and treatment of the diseases as well as identifying future research priorities. It will be published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
When a child has certain types of cardiomyopathy, their heart is not able to pump blood efficiently. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, heart rhythm abnormalities, dizziness, swollen hands and feet or other indications.
Although rare, cardiomyopathies in children can be life threatening and often result in either a child needing a heart transplant or premature death. There are many causes of cardiomyopathies including genetic variations that affect basic heart functions, systemic diseases, such as infections, treatments for medical conditions that injure the heart and many others, some of which are not yet understood.
Read more at American Heart Association