Can Cardiomyopathy be reversed?

[wiscnd]

Hi - after trying various treatments to shake a four month cough (and about a month of shortness of breath now), my primary doctor thinks it might be related to excess fluids and a potential heart condition. I had an echo, which showed that my heart is enlarged and my ef is only around 15%.  I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 6 weeks ago (my ac1 was 13+) and I'm obese.  However, my bp is normally around 118/80 and I just got my lipid panel back: 102 total cholestrol, 89 triglycerides.  My good cholestrol is a little low, but not so much as to be a worry.  I'm also very low on vitamin D.  My glucose this morning was 160 and so while I'm not in range just yet, it's been steadily dropping with metformin and junuvia.

I'm being scheduled for a stress test to see what else might be going on with my heart.  My question is with good diabetic control and weight loss can an enlarged heart and dismal ef be reversed to the point of not needing medicine but monitoring instead? I'm a 45 year old female.  Thank you for any advice!

[CCFHeartMD14]

  I am sorry to hear about your illness. No one can diagnose via the Internet. Based on what you have described, you have a dilated cardiomyoapthy (i.e. dilated and weaker heart muscle).
Although there are circumstances when it can improve spontaneously e.g stress induced cardiomypathy or tachycardia induced cardiomyoapthy (cardiomyopathy assiocated with  rapid heart rate), in the vast majority of cases medical therapy (as a first step) is necessary to improve this condition.
Prior to starting therapy several test are done to look for possible causes of cardiomyopathy. Stress test, which you were ordered (or coronary angiogram) is done to rule out presence of coronary disease (blockages in heart vessels) as a frequent cause of cardiomyopathy.Diabetes is a possible cause of cardiomyopathy and is frequently associated with presence of blockages in large and small heart vessels. As such therapy of diabetes, loosing weight and having a good cholesterol results are  definitely important.
However your cardiomyopathy may not be caused by diabetes and comprehensive workup should be done by your doctor to look for possible cause of your disease before diagnosis of diabetic cardiomyopathy is made.

In any case you will need to take medications which will help your heart muscle to recover. Your doctor may also consider changing your diabetic medications in the setting of fluid accumulation.

With best wishes

[wiscnd]

Thank you very much! Your explanation helps put things into perspective for me. I will hope for good results from the stress test and then continue forward towards fixing/controlling the underlying problems as directed.