Nonischemic Heart Disease

Nonischemic heart disease is a disease of the heart that lacks the associated coronary artery disease often found in other diseases of the heart. It's usually linked to a disease in one or more of the cardiac muscles, causing the heart to pump in an ineffective manner, thereby reducing the transport of blood, oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy

One of the more common nonischemic heart diseases is dilated cardiomyopathy. In this form of heart disease, your left ventricle has weakened to the point where it can no longer pump enough blood or expands so that it may pump an adequate amount of blood. However, this abnormal dilation will eventually weaken the muscles within the ventricle. The reason for this dilation and subsequent weakening is largely unknown, but it can be a result of an infection, genetics, valvular problems, substance abuse or diabetes.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Another potential nonischemic heart disease is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. With this condition, one or more of your cardiac muscles become abnormally thick. While this thickening can impede your heart's ability to pump blood, it rarely causes any real complications. Genetics is the leading cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

Restrictive cardiomyopathy is not as common as other forms of nonischemic heart disease. With this disease, the lower quadrants of your heart lack the normal elasticity of the average cardiac muscles. This impedes the ability of your heart to properly fill with blood, since it is unable to expand like it should. When the lower quadrants of your heart don't fill adequately, you see a decline in the amount of blood pumped throughout the body.

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy

Another fairly rare form of nonischemic heart disease is arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy or dysplasia. Often referred to as simply ARVD, the muscles of your right ventricle lack the normal structure of muscular tissue found in other cardiac muscles. This typically results in irregular or uneven heartbeats that may eventually lead to heart failure or cardiac arrest.

Treatment

The type of nonischemic heart disease usually dictates the treatment methods used to control the condition. However, most of these disorders can be treated with prescription medications. ACE inhibitors, Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, anti-arrhythmic drugs and anticoagulants can help maintain proper blood flow and reduce the chances of heart arrhythmias and heart failure. You may also benefit from a pacemaker to ensure that your heart beats normally. In more severe cases, a heart transplant may be necessary.

References

• Cleveland Clinic: Cardiomyopathy
• Mayo Clinic: Dilated Cardiomyopathy
• Mayo Clinic: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Resources

• Cleveland Clinic: Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
• Cleveland Clinic: ARVD