Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy | when having a big heart isn't a good thing

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic conditions where you get hypertrophy of the heart muscles, particularly the left ventricle and often the interventricular septum. This causes diastolic dysfunction as the thickened, stiff ventricles can't fill with blood properly. In some cases, people also get outflow tracts obstruction in the left ventricle, so not only does it not fill properly, but also the blood flow out of the heart and to the rest of the body is obstructed during systole.  HCM can present with syncope, chest pain, palpitations, dyspnoea and, importantly, sudden cardiac death or heart failure.  Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors (This isn't individual medical advice, please use your own clinical judgement and local guidelines when caring for your patients)

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