Professor Francisco Leyva-León
MD, FRCP, FACC
Professor of Cardiology, Consultant Cardiologist
Private secretary: 07812 243176 johorton@sky.com
CLINIC APPOINTMENTS
Little Aston Hospital The Priory Hospital The Harborne Hospital
0121 580 7151 0121 392 8738 0121 468 1270
www.doctorleyva.com CHOLESTEROL HEART FAILURE PALPITATIONS CHEST PAIN CARDIAC CT CARDIAC MRI CALCIUM SCORING SCAN CALCIUM SCORE BNP Raised BNP? WHAT IS BNP? BIRMINGHAM CARDIOLOGIST
Other cardiomyopathies
Cardiomyopathy means disease of the heart muscle that affects its function as a pump. It can be due to a heart attack (ischaemic cardiomyopathy hypertension (hypertensive cardiomyopathy) or to valve disease (valvular cardiomyopathy). Outside these categories, there is:
• Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
• Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM)
• Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D)
• Unclassified cardiomyopathies
In all cardiomyopathies, the structure and function of the heart muscle is altered. As the heart muscle weakens, the heart finds it more difficult to contract and relax and less blood is pumped to the lungs and the rest of the body. This can affect bot he left ventricle and the right ventricle. Eventually, if left untreated, the heart dilates and enlarges and heart failure ensues. The rare forms of cardiomyopathies behave as either dilated cardimyopathies or restrictive cardiomyopathies. They can all potentially lead to failure of the pump acton of the heart or serious rhythm abnormalities.