Genetics can attribute to chronic heart conditions. Dr. Libin Wang, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine, and Gwen Mayes, Patient Advocate, joined Inside South Florida to share the effects of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
“Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is actually the most commonly inherited cardiac condition. It affects people of any age, gender and race. It is an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle,” says Wang. “It actually hinders the blood flow in and out of the heart. When this happens people may feel shortness of breath, chest pain and tightness, racing heartbeat, lightheadedness, or sudden cardiac death.”
If you have a family history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, you should consult your physician.
“As soon as possible or at your next doctor's visit, you should talk about it with your doctor and share information about your own symptoms, if there are any,” says Wang. “Let the doctor examine you and perform a cardiac exam to see whether you have a murmur, or if further cardiac testing is indicated.”
For more information, visit CouldItBeHCM.com
This Inside South Florida segment is paid for by First Line Media.
