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The failing heart

Nature volume 415, pages 227–233 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Cardiomyopathies are disorders affecting heart muscle that usually result in inadequate pumping of the heart. They are the most common cause of heart failure and each year kill more than 10,000 people in the United States. In recent years, there have been breakthroughs in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in this group of conditions, with knowledge of the genetic basis for cardiomyopathies perhaps seeing the largest advance, enabling clinicians to devise improved diagnostic strategies and preparing the stage for new therapies.

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Figure 1: Dilated cardiomyopathy.
Figure 2: Proteins and pathways involved in the development of cardiomyopathies.
Figure 3: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Figure 4: Left ventricular noncompaction.
Figure 5: Final common pathways of dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

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  1. Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    J. A. Towbin & N. E. Bowles

  2. Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, and Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    J. A. Towbin

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Correspondence to J. A. Towbin.

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Towbin, J., Bowles, N. The failing heart. Nature 415, 227–233 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/415227a

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