Identification of the heart muscle disease cause in children is key to effective treatment

Treating children with cardiomyopathy should be personalized based on the root cause, symptoms and progression of the condition in each child , according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in the journal Circulation.

Many of the causes of cardiomyopathy in children are related to genetic abnormalities - rather than Type 2 diabetes, alcoholism, long-term high blood pressure or family history, as seen in adults. Symptoms of cardiomyopathy in children may include difficulty breathing; heart palpitations; fainting during physical activity; swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, abdomen, or congestion of neck veins; or heart failure symptoms, such as trouble breathing, poor feeding or growth, excessive sweating, low blood pressure or fatigue.

The statement writing committee focused on treatment for the most common cardiomyopathies in children:

Dilated cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart is enlarged and the pumping chambers contract poorly.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is characterized by a thickened, stiff heart muscle, making it difficult for the heart to relax and for blood to fill the heart’s chambers.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy is a rare form of heart muscle disease in which the stiffened heart muscle does not allow the ventricular chambers to fill with blood normally, backing up blood into the atria (the top chambers of the heart), lungs and body, causing the symptoms and signs of heart failure.

Pediatric cardiomyopathy may be diagnosed in a variety of stages - some patients may carry a genetic abnormality for the condition yet have no symptoms, while others may have severe symptoms or end-stage disease, according to the statement writing committee. Physicians are urged to thoroughly examine and evaluate their pediatric patients to identify the root cause of the condition to develop a treatment plan.

Reference:

Treatment Strategies for Cardiomyopathy in Children: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association,Circulation,DOI 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001151