Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy News and Research

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Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a condition that affects the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively due to the thickening (hypertrophy) of the heart muscle which becomes stiff as a result.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is consistent with survival to normal life expectancy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is consistent with survival to normal life expectancy, including particularly advanced age into the tenth decade of life, with demise ultimately largely unrelated to this disease, according to a study being presented Nov. 13 at the American Heart Association (AHA) scientific sessions in Orlando, Fla.

14 Nov 2011

Treatments can help most HCM patients

Most of the 600,000 Americans with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) -- a genetic heart muscle disease -- can live normal life spans, according to the first science-based guideline for diagnosing and treating this disorder.

9 Nov 2011

Broader screening for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Around one in 500 Swedes carry a genetic mutation which can cause sudden cardiac death. The diagnosis can lead to major lifestyle changes, but quality of life can be maintained with the right advice and support, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

2 Nov 2011

Potential avenue to make an unhealthy heart grow more like a healthy version

Identification of three fatty acids involved in the extreme growth of Burmese pythons' hearts following large meals could prove beneficial in treating diseased human hearts, according to research co-authored by a University of Alabama scientist and publishing in the Oct. 28 issue of Science.

28 Oct 2011

Experts from CHOP address American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting

Numerous experts from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia will be addressing their colleagues at this year's annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics on topics as varied as vaccine education, fetal surgery, sudden cardiac arrest, and sports injuries, among others.

15 Oct 2011

ECG results for young athletes prone to misinterpretation

Pediatric cardiologists are prone to misinterpreting electrocardiograms when using the results to determine whether young athletes have heart defects that could make exercising perilous, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. This is the first research to examine the acumen of pediatric cardiologists from several health-care institutions in using ECGs to detect rare heart conditions associated with sudden cardiac death.

15 Jul 2011

Redefinition of cardiac hypertrophy term needed

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group on Myocardial Function is calling for a redefinition of the term cardiac hypertrophy which is currently used to describe changes to the morphology (structure) of the heart. Instead the position paper, published online today in the European Journal of Heart Failure, suggests that use of the general term myocardial remodelling should be preferred.

27 Jun 2011

New guide indicates when and how genetic testing is useful for inherited cardiac conditions

While genetic inheritance is known to play a role in the multifactorial development of most diseases of the heart, there are also a number of clearly diagnosed cardiac conditions which owe their development to quite specific genetic abnormalities. When these genetic disorders affect the integrity of the heart's muscle they are known as a "cardiomyopathy"; when the disorder affects the heart's "excitability", it is known as a "channelopathy".

27 Jun 2011

New cardiac genetic testing guidelines for health care professionals

An international panel of experts from The Heart Rhythm Society and the European Heart Rhythm Association issued new guideline recommendations for all health care professionals about cardiovascular genetic testing at the Heart Rhythm Society's 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions.

7 May 2011

Therapeutic hypothermia is an effective treatment for young adult patients with HCM

Young adult patients with genetic heart diseases, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, substantially benefitted from therapeutic hypothermia, which could further extend the role for this treatment strategy in new patient populations, according to a scientific presentation at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, April 1-3.

4 Apr 2011

Experts to discuss cause of sudden death on athletic playing fields

While the cause of death of the Fennville, Mich. high school basketball player is unknown, an inherited heart condition makes the top of the list for possible causes.

5 Mar 2011

Mutated cancer pathway studies identify therapeutic targets for congenital heart disease

Cross-disciplinary teams of scientists studying genetic pathways that are mutated in many forms of cancer, but which also cause certain forms of congenital heart disease - including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart muscle that is the leading cause of sudden death in children and young adults -, have introduced these mutations into mice and successfully treated HCM in the lab.

22 Feb 2011

New study: Rapamycin reverses cardiac muscle damage in LEOPARD syndrome mouse model

Congenital heart diseases affect approximately one in 100 patients, making them the most common type of birth defect and the number-one cause of pediatric deaths.

21 Feb 2011

PGxHealth presents results from studies using FAMILION genetic testing at 2010 AHA

Clinical Data, Inc., today announced that results of studies using its FAMILION® genetic testing were presented at the 2010 American Heart Association (AHA) meeting. PGxHealth, a division of Clinical Data, together with its collaborators, presented results from the largest, most comprehensive studies of genetic variation associated with certain cardiac conditions that were revealed using FAMILION testing.

15 Nov 2010

Beaumont Hospital announces opening of new Ernst Cardiovascular Center

Beaumont Hospitals' world renowned heart center has expanded and enhanced its services with the Oct. 18 opening of the new Ernst Cardiovascular Center at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak.

21 Oct 2010

Mandatory ECG screening for athletes

Should athletes have to undergo mandatory electrocardiographic screening (also known as ECG or heart trace) before competing? Doctors debate the issue in this week's BMJ.

4 Oct 2010

Recommendations for developing novel therapies for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

16 Sep 2010

Researchers recommend mechanism to identify hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

An abrupt, fatal heart attack in a young athlete on the playing field is a tragedy destined to repeat itself over and over until more is understood about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a genetic disorder that is the most common cause of sudden death in young people but which affects people of all ages. So says a task force of cardiologists and cardiac biologists, headed by Thomas L. Force, M.D., James C. Wilson Professor of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, in the September 14th online edition of the journal Circulation.

15 Sep 2010

ECG-based screening for young footballers at risk of heart disease needs to be reviewed: Study

The screening process for young footballers at risk of heart disease needs to be re-evaluated. That is the conclusion of a recent study, which has shown that the common criteria used for assessment does not take into account the type and intensity of the exercise performed. The single most common cause of sudden death in competitive footballers is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - a disease that thickens the heart muscle without any obvious cause.

31 Aug 2010

Study finds black females exhibit greater magnitude of LVH than their white counterparts

A study conducted in the UK has established the extent of cardiac adaptation amongst female athletes competing in a number of sports.