Etymed
cardiomyopathy
Definition
A disease of the heart muscle
Clinical context
A 52-year-old man presents with progressive dyspnea and fatigue over several months. On examination, he has bilateral pulmonary crackles and an enlarged cardiac silhouette on chest X-ray. Echocardiography reveals global left ventricular systolic dysfunction with a reduced ejection fraction. These findings are consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition characterized by impaired myocardial contraction leading to heart failure.
Mnemonic
CARDIOMYOPATHY - 'CARDIO' for heart muscle disease, 'MYO' for muscle, 'PATHY' for disease