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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have dilated cardiomyopathy, you're likely to have signs and symptoms when the disease has caused heart failure or arrhythmias. Dilated cardiomyopathy symptoms include:
- Fatigue and weakness
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea) when you're active or lying down
- Reduced ability to exercise
- Lightheadedness, dizziness or fainting
- Persistent cough or wheezing
- Swelling (edema) in your legs, ankles and feet
- Swelling of your abdomen (ascites)
- Sudden weight gain from fluid retention
- Lack of appetite and nausea
- Difficulty concentrating or decreased alertness
- Sensation of rapid, fluttering or pounding heartbeats (palpitations)
When to see a doctor
If you experience shortness of breath or other symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy, see your doctor. Call 911 or your local emergency number if you feel chest pain that lasts more than a few minutes or have severe difficulty breathing.
If a member of your family has been diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, talk to your doctor about having you or other family members screened for dilated cardiomyopathy. Early detection may benefit people with inherited forms of dilated cardiomyopathy who have no apparent signs or symptoms.
- Cardiomyopathy. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cm/cm_all.html. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Cooper LT. Definition and classification of the cardiomyopathies. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Maron BJ, et al. Contemporary definitions and classification of the cardiomyopathies: An American Heart Association scientific statement from the Council on Clinical Cardiology, Heart Failure and Transplantation Committee; Quality of Care and Outcomes Research and Functional Genomics and Translational Biology Interdisciplinary Working Groups; and Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. Circulation 2006;113:1807.
- Weigner M, et al. Causes of dilated cardiomyopathy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Hershberger RE. Genetics of dilated cardiomyopathy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Podrid PJ, et al. Secondary and primary prevention of sudden cardiac death in heart failure and cardiomyopathies. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Heart failure. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hf/HF_All.html. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Hare JM. The dilated, restrictive and infiltrative cardiomyopathies. In Libby P. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4106-1..50067-4&uniq=151686941&isbn=978-1-4160-4106-1&sid=867495152#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4106-1..X5001-8--TOP%3Bfrom%3Dcontent%3Bisbn%3D978-1-4160-4106-1%3Btype%3DbookHome. Accessed July 14, 2009.
