Cardiomyopathies

Cardiomyopathy is a type of heart disease in which the heart becomes abnormally enlarged, thickened and/or stiffened. As a result, the heart muscle's ability to pump and/or receive blood is impaired. This book describes the most recent advances in cardiomyopathies- one of the leading causes of hospitalisation worldwide. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), also known as congestive cardiomyopathy, is a condition in which the heart becomes weakened and enlarged, and as a result, cannot pump blood efficiently. The causes, effects, as well as the severity of DCM are described in this book, as well as the types of therapy that are effective, such as anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive therapy.There has been a general decrease of cardiac involvement in HIV-positive subjects in recent years due mostly to antiretroviral therapeutic advances. This reasons behind this trend are explored. In addition, the types of risk factors that can reduce severe cardiocirculatory pathologies incidence (such as tobacco smoking and alcohol abuse)are explained as well. Apoptosis, or cell death, is considered a key event during myocardial infarction and in the development of ischemic cardiomyopathy. This book describes the role of caspase-cleaved cytokeratin-18 (ccCk-18) in ischemic cardiomyopathy. This book details the clinical significance of left ventricular false tendons, which consist of thin fibrous or fibromuccular structures, and their association with localised subaortic hypertrophy. The diagnostic and prognostic cardiac imaging in hypertrophic cardiomyopathies (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathies as explored as well, in addition to the role of nuclear imaging techniques in the broad setting of cardiomyopathies. Cardiomyopathies often lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD). This book describes the three main pathological entities of this group- hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). This book also details the epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis and treatment of the American Trypanosomiasis- a zoonosis caused by a parasite, the Trypanosoma Cruzi. Recent statistics show that 60% of Americans are overweight. Being obese is often a precursor to coronary artery disease as well as heart failure.