Patterns of Cardiomyopathy in Patients Presenting to a Tertiary Care Hospital.

BACKGROUND

Cardiomyopathy is a broad category of myocardial conditions that have a substantial effect on heart function. Improving patient treatment requires a knowledge of its epidemiology.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of cardiomyopathy in patients presenting to a tertiary care hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan.

METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Cardiology, Northwest General Hospital & Research Centre, Peshawar, from December 14, 2022, to June 14, 2023. There were 79 individuals with cardiomyopathy who were 16 years of age or older. Clinical and demographic information, such as age, gender, BMI, length of illness, and family history, were gathered. Cardiomyopathy patterns were classified using echocardiographic evaluations, and IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was employed for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The average age of the 79 participants was 45.72 ± 2.45 years, and 40.5% (n=32) were between the ages of 51 and 60. There were 63.3% male individuals (n=50) and 36.7% female individuals (n=29). With 69.6% (n=55) and 30.4% (n=24) having a duration of symptoms ≤1 month and >1 month, respectively. 38.0% (n=30) had a family history of cardiomyopathy. With dilated, hypertrophic, and peripartum cardiomyopathy each at 15.2%, the most prevalent forms of cardiomyopathy were restrictive (20.3%, n=16), ischemic (17.7%, n=14), and arrhythmogenic right ventricular (16.5%, n=13). BMI (p = 0.000) and illness duration (p = 0.000) were substantially correlated with dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. Older age groups, especially those between the ages of 51 and 60, had a greater prevalence of cardiomyopathy (p = 0.000). Dilated cardiomyopathy (p = 0.000) and peripartum cardiomyopathy (p = 0.000) were significantly influenced by family history.

CONCLUSION

The research highlights the variety of cardiomyopathy patterns seen in a tertiary care facility, with ischemic and restrictive forms being the most prevalent. This highlights the need for specialized diagnosis and treatment strategies.