Have you ever heard about Athlete’s Heart? According to the Cleveland Clinic, it refers to the changes that occur in your heart when you do strenuous exercise for more than one hour on most days of the week. It can lead to thickened heart muscles and an enlarged left ventricle. However, according to Dr Dmitry Yaranov, a cardiologist, it can sometimes be hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which is far more dangerous.
What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)?
In an Instagram post shared on September 8, Dr Yaranov explained what exactly hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is. According to him, if you think that ‘I work out hard, so my heart is supposed to be thick’, that is a skewed logic, because a thick heart should never be dismissed without understanding why it is thick.
He further underlined that HCM is a disease of the heart muscle that can “obstruct blood flow, trigger dangerous arrhythmias, and cause symptoms ranging from shortness of breath and chest pain to fainting”. Therefore, it should be taken seriously.
According to the cardiologist, HCM, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is diagnosed when the heart muscle is 15 millimetres or greater without a clear explanation, for instance, “you’ve never had uncontrolled hypertension or your aortic valve has never been a problem.”
‘HCM often runs in families’
The cardiologist further cautioned that an abnormal echocardiogram detecting HCM is a red flag for your entire family. According to him, HCM often runs in families.
So, when a specific genetic variant is identified in parents, siblings and children should be evaluated. “But a negative genetic test does not rule out HCM,” he cautioned.
Types of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
There are two types of HCM, according to the cardiologist:
- In obstructive, the thickened muscle blocks the blood flow leaving the heart.
- In non-obstructive cases, there’s no major blockage to the flow, but the heart can fail to relax, become stiff, and struggle to provide enough oxygen.
Here’s what patients actually feel when they have HCM:
- Shortness of breath
- chest pain
- palpitations
- dizziness
- fainting
- severe fatigue.
However, the cardiologist noted that some patients also go without symptoms whatsoever. Therefore, the biggest fear is abnormal rhythm.
He further added that doctors usually consider patterns of thickening, family history, genetics, cardiac MRI, symptoms, and rhythm monitoring before diagnosing HCM, and that treatment depends on individual risk and the presence of obstruction.
‘Most people with HCM can live full lives’
According to the cardiologist, most people with HCM can live full lives, but everyone needs to undergo an individualised rhythm risk assessment. “A defibrillator should be reserved for patients at high risk. It does not treat the thick muscle. It protects them if the dangerous rhythms occur,” he added.
Meanwhile, for treatment, traditional medications slow the heart rate or reduce how forcefully it contracts. As for persistent obstruction, the cardiologist suggests ‘surgery or alcohol septal ablation’.
“Cardiac myosin inhibitors directly reduce the excessive contraction of the heart. There is established evidence for those medications for patients with obstructive HCM,” he further advised, highlighting recent evidence showing these medicines may work even for patients without obstruction.
So a thick heart is never a good thing, no matter how much you work out, Dr Yaranov cautioned in the end.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
