Nagarakanti Rangadham, Whellan David, Rubin Sharon, Mather Paul J
Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, USA.
Cardiol Rev. 2007 Jul-Aug;15(4):178-83. doi: 10.1097/CRD.0b013e31804c98b1.
Cardiomyopathy represents a diverse and heterogenous group of disorders affecting the myocardium and ultimately resulting in cardiac dysfunction. The prevalence of heart failure is high (5 million symptomatic patients in the United States) and increasing. Cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of hospitalization in patients older than 65 years of age, resulting in enormous healthcare expenditure and lost productivity. Ischemic cardiomyopathy accounts for about half of these patients, but in several large clinical trials the prevalence of potentially reversible nonischemic cardiomyopathy is also significant, ranging from 20% to 50%. There is epidemiological evidence that the prognosis of these reversible nonischemic cardiomyopathies is better than ischemic or other nonreversible cardiomyopathies. Early and precise diagnosis of the etiology of heart failure is important for determining prognosis and effective treatments.
心肌病是一组影响心肌并最终导致心脏功能障碍的多样且异质性的疾病。心力衰竭的患病率很高（美国有500万症状性患者）且呈上升趋势。心肌病是65岁以上患者住院的主要原因，导致了巨大的医疗支出和生产力损失。缺血性心肌病约占这些患者的一半，但在几项大型临床试验中，潜在可逆的非缺血性心肌病的患病率也很高，范围从20%到50%。有流行病学证据表明，这些可逆的非缺血性心肌病的预后优于缺血性或其他不可逆性心肌病。早期准确诊断心力衰竭的病因对于确定预后和有效治疗很重要。
