Open AccessLiving with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a patient’s perspective
Author(s) -
Wendy Borsari,
Lindsay Davis,
Eric Meiers,
Lisa Salberg,
Barbara McDonough
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
future cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.392
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1744-8298
pISSN - 1479-6678
DOI - 10.2217/fca-2021-0091
Subject(s) - medicine , palpitations , hypertrophic cardiomyopathy , quality of life (healthcare) , chest pain , disease , fainting , implantable cardioverter defibrillator , intervention (counseling) , intensive care medicine , cardiomyopathy , physical therapy , cardiology , heart failure , nursing , psychiatry
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a complex disease characterized by thickening of the cardiac muscle. Common symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, fatigue and syncope (fainting), which are often confused for other conditions. Clinical treatment focuses on the relief of symptoms with medical therapies, which provide adequate to more variable symptomatic relief. Patients may experience more severe complications that require surgical intervention, such as implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy or septal myectomy. Despite the potential impact on quality of life, the humanistic burden of HCM is not well established. Here, we present four patient testimonials that highlight challenges faced by patients and clinicians in diagnosing HCM and managing symptoms. These testimonials provide valuable information on the spectrum and expression of HCM across generations. Such testimonials can better inform disease diagnosis and monitoring, maximizing quality of life and improving disease outcome.