Cardiomyopathies in China: A 2018–2019 state-of-the-art review

Abstract

Cardiomyopathies are diseases of the cardiac muscle and are often characterized by ventricular dilation, hypertrophy, and cardiac arrhythmia. Patients with cardiomyopathies often experience sudden death and cardiac failure and require cardiac transplantation during the course of disease progression. Early diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and genetic consultation depend on imaging techniques, genetic testing, and new emerging diagnostic tools such as serum biomarkers. The molecular genetics of cardiomyopathies has been widely studied recently. The discovery of mechanisms underlying heterogeneity and overlapping of the phenotypes of cardiomyopathies has revealed the existence of disease modifiers, and this has led to the emergence of novel disease-modifying therapy. This 2018–2019 state-of-the-art review outlines the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiomyopathies in China.

Keywords

• Cardiomyopathies
• Genetics
• Heart failure