Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

If you’ve been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), our integrated team of experts works together to deliver a comprehensive approach to HCM treatment for a lifetime of care.

The Advocate Heart Institute brings together a diverse team of specialists to treat HCM – a disease of the heart muscle that’s usually inherited. It causes the walls of the heart to become thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. The thickened areas may also block blood flow out of the heart.

Symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Approximately 1 in 500 people have HCM, though it’s probably more common since many don’t know they have it.

People with HCM often do not have any signs or symptoms. As the disease progresses, the following symptoms may develop:

Shortness of breath
Heart palpitations
Dizziness or fainting
Chest pain
Rarely, cardiac arrest (where the heart stops beating)

Diagnosing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy requires skill and experience to diagnose. Our team of cardiologists and other specialists base their diagnosis on the following:

Personal health history: We’ll review your medical record, including any signs and symptoms.
Family history: Since HCM is usually inherited, we’ll ask about your family’s health, especially any incidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, heart failure or cardiac arrest.
Physical exam: This includes checking your overall health, and listening to your heart and lungs, specifically for a murmur in your heart created by turbulent blood moving through the thickened area.
Echocardiogram: This ultrasound test generates a picture of your heart. Your doctor may also want to perform an echocardiogram during or after exercise to look at how your heart functions under stress.
Electrocardiogram (ECG): This test tracks your heart’s electrical rhythms. In some cases, your doctor may ask you to wear an ECG for 24 hours or longer to detect any rhythm disturbances.
Cardiac MRI: This test uses magnets and radio waves to create a 3D picture of your heart.
Genetic testing: We’ll likely recommend this for you and your family because HCM is an inherited condition. There is a 50% chance that a person with HCM will pass it on to their child.

At Advocate’s HCM Center of Excellence, our team includes experts in interpreting test results, especially echocardiography and cardiac MRIs. We continually evaluate and refine our protocols to make the most accurate diagnoses.

Treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

In general, our doctors base HCM treatment on the symptoms that are present and the progression of the disease. We’ll work with you in developing their plan of care.

HCM is a disease that can be stable for a long period of time, then suddenly change. We monitor our patients closely to identify these changes early and provide the most appropriate treatment.

Treatment options may be nonsurgical or surgical.

Nonsurgical HCM treatments

Medications are often the primary treatment in patients with HCM. Your doctor may prescribe medications to reduce stress on the heart muscle. Because heart rhythm problems can also occur in patients with HCM, treatment may include medications to correct an irregular heartbeat or prevent blood clots.

In addition to medications, your doctor may recommend limiting your intake of sodium, alcohol and caffeine.

You may also be asked to modify your exercise regimen to limit strenuous exercise. Our cardiologists and exercise physiologists will work with you to help you understand your risks related to exercise. This is especially important for athletes.

Surgical HCM treatments

Surgical treatments for HCM include:

Reduction of the thickened heart tissue to improve blood flow through the heart. At Advocate Heart Institute, we perform an open surgical procedure, called a myectomy, to remove the thickened heart tissue. We also offer a less invasive technique called alcohol septal ablation. This procedure uses alcohol injected through a catheter, or tube, to shrink the muscle tissue. Learn more about these procedures that are performed by our cardiovascular surgery and interventional cardiology teams.
Surgically implanted devices to correct an abnormal heart rhythm. These include defibrillators, pacemakers or cardiac resynchronization devices. Find out more about these treatments that are offered through Advocate’s heart rhythm care program.
Heart transplant to replace a heart that is no longer functioning. HCM may progress to end-stage heart failure where a transplant or ventricular assist device may be needed. Read more about our heart transplant program.