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Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the community: why we should care

Nature Clinical Practice Cardiovascular Medicine volume 2, pages 324–325 (2005)Cite this article

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a model of genetic heart disease that fascinates clinical cardiologists, geneticists and scientists. Public and media interest, however, grows only briefly when HCM is identified as the cause of sudden death of a young competitive athlete.

HCM is an epidemiologically relevant, widespread yet frequently undiagnosed condition. The worldwide prevalence, based on left-ventricular wall thickness greater than 15 mm, is reported to be 0.2% (e.g. >100,000 individuals in the UK), but this value might be higher.1 Diagnoses of HCM based on symptoms or cardiovascular complications represent the tip of the iceberg and many patients are asymptomatic and not aware of the risk inherent with HCM. Other conditions less common than HCM, such as multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis, benefit from raised awareness in the medical community and general public. Despite large gaps in our knowledge of the basic mechanisms of HCM, understanding is advancing at the clinical, molecular and community levels. We highlight some of the exciting new information in the field and its relevance to the community.

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Author notes

  1. Franco Cecchi and Iacopo Olivotto: F Cecchi is Head of and I Olivotto is a Staff Physician

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Referral Centre for Cardiomyopathies in the Cardiology Department of the Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy

    Franco Cecchi & Iacopo Olivotto

  2. cardiac surgeon, Professor of Cardiac Surgery and Director of Research at the Heart Science Centre, Imperial College London, Harefield, UK

    Magdi H Yacoub

Authors
  1. Franco Cecchi
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  2. Magdi H Yacoub
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  3. Iacopo Olivotto
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Correspondence to Franco Cecchi.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Cecchi, F., Yacoub, M. & Olivotto, I. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the community: why we should care. Nat Rev Cardiol 2, 324–325 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpcardio0248

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