Cardiomyopathy Causes and Risk Factors

---

Cardiomyopathy can be  inherited , acquired, or  congenital .

• Inherited means that your parents passed the  gene for the disease on to you. Gene  mutations can cause your heart not to develop properly. Mutations are changes in the genes that control how your heart is formed. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy are often inherited.
• Acquired means that you weren't born with the disease, but you developed it due to another disease or condition. Conditions that damage your heart can lead to acquired cardiomyopathy.
• Congenital means that your condition was present at birth. You may have cardiomyopathy at birth, or it can result from a congenital heart defect. Congenital cardiomyopathy may result from health conditions of the mother or the developing baby that are not inherited.

Cardiomyopathy may also be a  symptoms of another condition. Many times, the cause is not known.

People of any age, race, or ethnicity can have cardiomyopathy. Sometimes, lifestyle habits or other medical conditions raise your risk of cardiomyopathy. You can reduce risks by controlling lifestyle risks.

Lifestyle risk factors

You can take steps to lower your risk of cardiomyopathy:

• Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink. Heavy drinking is linked with cardiomyopathy.For women, heavy drinking is defined as more than seven alcoholic drinks per week. For men, heavy drinking is defined as more than 14 drinks per week. Even moderate use of alcohol for more than 10 years is linked with cardiomyopathy. (Moderate use means no more than two drinks a day for men and no more than one drink a day for women.) Drinking less is better for health than drinking more. Learn more about the health effects of drinking alcohol. Visit the website of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
• Avoid cocaine, amphetamines, or anabolic-androgenic steroids unless prescribed by your provider. Some substances can damage the heart muscle. This damage increases the risk of cardiomyopathy and cardiac arrest. There is some evidence that marijuana can raise your risk for takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
• Minimize very stressful situations. You can’t avoid all sources of stress in your life, but you may be able to lower your stress level with counseling or support from loved ones. Extreme stress can raise your risk of takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also called broken heart  syndrome , especially if you have other risk factors.
• Keep up to date on vaccines. Infections raise the risk of septic cardiomyopathy and other heart injuries that cause heart damage.

The Link Between Mental Stress and Heart Health

The NHLBI supports research showing how mental stress affects the heart. Researchers are studying how stress can raise your risk for serious health problems or even death. 

View the article

Risk factors you can’t control

• Age: Some types of cardiomyopathy are more common in certain age groups.
  • Septic cardiomyopathy is more common in newborns.
  • Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is more common in teens and young adults.
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy is more common in adults between 20 and 60 years old.
  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is more common in people in their 30s.
  • Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is more common in women after menopause.
• Family history of cardiomyopathy or other heart conditions
• Race:Black people have a risk of dilated cardiomyopathy that’s nearly three times higher than that of White people.
• Chemotherapy or radiation treatment for  cancer
• Other medical conditions:
  • Pregnancy
  • Diseases that affect how well your muscles work, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy
  • Diseases that cause substances to build up in your heart, such as sarcoidosis or amyloidosis
  • Heart inflammation
  • Infections, such as viral hepatitis, HIV, and COVID-19
  • Obesity, diabetes, or other problems with your  metabolic system
  • Sepsis , a life-threatening condition that results when the body’s response to infection injures its own tissues
  • Thyroid disease and other problems with your  hormone levels

You may be able to prevent acquired cardiomyopathy or help lower your risk of problems.

• Make heart-healthy lifestyle changes. These changes include choosing heart-healthy foods, being physically active, aiming for a healthy weight, quitting smoking, getting quality sleep, and managing stress. Also, avoid drinking too much alcohol and using substances such as cocaine.
• Get treatment for medical conditions that can cause cardiomyopathy or make your condition worse.
• Prevent infections by keeping up to date on vaccinations.
• Reduce sources of stress in your life. Learn about ways to cope with stress.

There is no way to prevent inherited cardiomyopathy. However, you can take steps to keep it from getting worse and lower your risk of serious health problems. Working with a genetic counselor can give you information about the risk of your children inheriting a gene for cardiomyopathy.

Good pre-pregnancy and prenatal care can help pregnant women lower the risk that their babies will be born with congenital cardiomyopathy.

FACT SHEET

Self-care Tips for Heart Health

Learn about how and why to make heart health part of your self-care routine.

View the fact sheet