Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
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
Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffBecause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is inherited, it can't be prevented. However, doctors and scientists are learning more about the genetic mutations that cause the disorder. Though the condition itself can't be prevented, it's important to identify this condition as early as possible to guide treatment and prevent complications.
Preventing sudden death
The use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator has been shown to help prevent sudden cardiac death, which occurs rarely in those with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Unfortunately, because many people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy don't realize they have it, there are instances where the first sign of a problem is sudden cardiac death. These cases can happen in seemingly healthy young people, including high school athletes and other young, active adults. News of these types of deaths generates understandable attention because they're so unexpected, but parents should be aware these deaths are quite rare.
Still, experts in heart abnormalities generally recommend that those with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy not participate in most competitive sports, with the possible exception of some low-intensity sports. You should talk with your cardiologist about specific recommendations. The use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator should not be viewed as a substitute for these recommendations.
- Cardiomyopathy. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4468. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
- Maron BJ. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In: Libby P, et al, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/117866989-4/796148825/1549/451.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4106-1..50068-6_7427. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
- Elliot P, et al. Clinical manifestations of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec07/ch084666/ch084666c.html. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
- Ferri F. Cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2008:162.
- You JJ, et al. Life expectancy gains and cost-effectiveness of implantable cardioverter/defibrillators for the primary prevention of sudden cardiac death in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. American Heart Journal. 2007;154:899.
- Pigozzi F, et al. Sudden death in competitive athletes. Clinics in Sports Medicine. 2008;27:153.
- Maron BJ. Hypertrophic dardiomyopathy and other causes of sudden cardiac death in young competitive athletes, with considerations for preparticipation screening and criteria for disqualification. Cardiology Clinics. 2007;25:399.
- Ingles J. Psychosocial impact of specialized cardiac genetic clinics for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Genetics in Medicine. 2008;10:117.
- Morgan JF, et al. Psychiatric disorders in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. General Hospital Psychiatry. 2008;30:49.
