Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common genetic cardiovascular disease. An estimated 1 in 500 adults have this condition. It often develops early in life, from the teens through the mid-30s.1
Recent studies have shown that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may be more common than previously thought in people older than age 60, and some doctors encourage more frequent testing of this age group. Symptoms caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may be treated more successfully if the condition is properly diagnosed.2
References
Citations
Nishimura RA, et al. (2004). Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In V Fuster et al., eds., Hurst's the Heart, 11th ed., pp. 1909–1936. New York: McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division.
Zieman SJ, Fortuin NJ (1999). Hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathies in the elderly. Cardiology Clinics, 17(1): 159–172.
Credits
| Author | Monica Rhodes |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Denele Ivins |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology |
| Last Updated | December 18, 2006 |
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