What exactly is dilated cardiomyopathy? Well, simply put, it is a disease of the heart muscle. Many people who have it do not have their lives totally affected by it, but for some who experience severe symptoms, there can be a risk of sudden death. Thus in the case of dilated cardiomyopathy, it is necessary to confirm the diagnosis, assess the outlook, and look at the risk of complications.

In dilated cardiomyopathy, there is a disease in the heart muscle that makes the heart become enlarged and pump less strongly. Thus, the muscle of the heart becomes floppy, thin or weak, and can no longer pump blood efficiently around the body. This makes fluid build up in the lungs, therefore making it congested, and this leads to a sense of breathlessness which we call heart failure.

Dilated cardiomyopathy can also be caused by coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and heart valve disease. In most cases, the symptoms do not present themselves until the case is quite severe. Dilated cardiomyopathy can be diagnosed through an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound scan of the heart that makes an accurate assessment of the size and function of the heart.