Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases of the myocardium associated with mechanical and/or electric dysfunction that usually (but not invariably) exhibit inappropriate ventricular hypertrophy or dilatation and are due to a variety of causes that frequently are genetic. Cardiomyopathies either are confined to the heart or are part of generalized systemic disorders.
John
F. Goodwin developed a classification based on structural and functional
changes.
·
Congestive
cardiomyopathy, now referred to as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM),
·
Hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy (HCM), and
·
Constrictive
(now referred to as restrictive) cardio myopathy (RCM).
·
Arrhythmogenic
right ventricular cardiomyopathy (arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy),
Each
of these categories was further subdivided by pathogenesis, such as secondary
to a systemic disorder, an infection, inflammation, an inherited disorder, or
idiopathic cardiomyopathies.
