Congestive (dilated) Cardiomyopathy

• Most common cardiomyopathy (90%)
• AD(35%)
• Inherited cytoskeletal mutations
• Men 20-60 (young)
• Most common cause of transplant

• Often Unknown
• Alcohol cardiomyopathy, thiamine defficiency (Beriberi heart), or prior myocarditis (late stage myocarditis?)
• Peripartum cardiomyopathy (late 3^rd trimester or post partum) – 50% of these pts recover
• Mutations - Dystrophin gene (occurs with Duchenne’s MD), Ox phos mito genes
• Drug toxicity (adriamycin)
• Hemochromatosis

• 4 chamber dilation with R and L sided SYSTOLIC heart failure Viruses have been identified in these hearts
• Normal wall thickness
• Enlarged flabby heart which is dilated and hypertrophied, stretched myocytes with enlarged nuclei
• Lack of contraction → formation of mural thrombi
• Myocyte hypertrophy, interstitial fibrosis, wavy fiber changes, mono infiltrate
• ↓ EF → CHF

Category: Pathology Notes