Clinical and echocardiographic study of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Tanzania.

There are few published reports of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Africans, partly due to lack of Echocardiography machines at most hospitals. Among 6680 patients referred for echocardiography at Muhimbili National Hospital between June 1998 and October 2002, 134 (0.19%) patients had HCM. Their mean age was 54.8+/-14.2 years. In total 67.9% were men and 32.1% were women. Due to the diverse clinical features only eight (5.9%) patients had a correct diagnosis of HCM prior to their ECHO. The important role of echocardiography in the diagnosis of HCM is stressed with a plea for the increasing availability of this non-invasive technique for early and accurate diagnosis.