Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Receiving Social Security Disability
Your heart is at the center of your cardiovascular system. Your heart is the organ that pumps blood to all of the cells in your body through your bodys blood vessels. Your blood has oxygen that your cells have to have. Cardiomyopathy literally means heart muscle disease. It refers to the deterioration of the working of your myocardium (heart muscle). This medical condition hinders your hearts ability to pump blood. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common form of this disease. It is when your hearts main pumping chamber becomes dilated (enlarged), and its pumping ability becomes impaired. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a form of cardiomyopathy where your heart muscle (myocardium) becomes hypertrophied or abnormally thick. The result is that your heart may have a harder time pumping blood. This disease can also affect the electrical system of your heart. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is known by other names. It is also referred to as idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and asymmetric septal hypertrophy. Fortunately, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is rare. It is not as common as dilated cardiomyopathy. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects about 1 in 500 people in the United States. People of all ages can have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. However, younger people are more prone to have a serious form of this disease. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects men and women equally. Genetic mutations are what often cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Doctors believe these genetic mutations cause your heart muscle to become abnormally thick. Another factor that may play a role in the development of this disease is an abnormal arrangement of your hearts muscle fibers. This can play a part in causing an irregular heartbeat. There are some signs and symptoms that may be an indication of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Some of these are:- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Shortness of breath
- Shortness of breath while lying down
- Chest pain
- Reduced activity tolerance (fatigue)
- Dizziness
- Light-headedness that happens especially after exercise or activity
- Palpitations (a sense of fluttering, pounding or rapid heartbeats)
- Fainting that especially occurs during activity or exercise.