Hypertrophic Cardiomyopaty (HCM)
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is characterized by marked thickening of the left ventricular wall, mainly the interventricular septum of the heart (i.e. the septum is the wall that divides the heart ventricles into left and right). This thickening is usually not due to high blood pressure and in most patients is asymmetric and can interfere with the normal propulsion of blood out of the heart, or in some patients the contraction of the cardiac wall is inadequate. In some patients, specific genetic defects have been identified that are responsible for the disease, and can be inherited.
