Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffMany factors can change and enlarge your heart's main pumping chamber (left ventricle). The risk factors for dilated cardiomyopathy include:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Hardening and narrowing of arteries (atherosclerosis)
- Heart valve problems
- Damage to the heart muscle from a previous heart attack
- Rapid heart rate (tachycardia)
- Family history of dilated cardiomyopathy
- Alcoholism
- Certain chemotherapy drugs for treating cancer
- Cocaine abuse
- Viral or bacterial infections of the heart muscle
- Metabolic disorders, such as thyroid disease or diabetes
- Absorbing too much iron from the food you eat (hemachromatosis)
- Nutritional deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals
- Inflammation of heart muscle from immune system disorders
- Metals and other toxic compounds, such as lead, mercury and arsenic
- Neuromuscular disorders, such as muscular dystrophy
- Pregnancy
References
- Jeffries JL, et al. Dilated cardiomyopathy. The Lancet. 2010;375:752.
- Dilated cardiomyopathy. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_312224.pdf. Accessed July 3, 2011.
- Cardiomyopathy. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cm/cm_all.html. Accessed July 3, 2011.
- Mestroni L, et al. Dilated cardiomyopathies. In: Fuster V, et al. Hurst's The Heart. 13th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=7811432. Accessed July 3, 2011.
- Bashore TM, et al. Heart disease. In McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2011. 50th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3671. Accessed July 3, 2011.
- Hunt SA, et al. 2009 Focused update incorporated into the ACC/AHA 2005 guidelines for the diagnosis and management of heart failure in adults: A report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2009;53:e1.
- Grogan M (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 31, 2011.
Find Mayo Clinic on