Whats a little bit of cardiomyopathy mean?

[dnlh]

I went to the doctor about of tachycardia, palpations, hypertension etc........she detected a murmur an had me go in for an echo. The conclusions state: normal lv function with ef of 55%, trace MR and TR, apex shows thickening consistent focal cardiomyopathy, no vale vegetations seen. I know the EF is normal, the tr and mr are trivial, no there is no sign of infection.......but what does the other mean? My doc won't explain anything to me. Both parents died under the age of 52 with heart related problems. I have measurements on echo if they're of any consequence.......anyone hav any ideas?

[dnlh]

oh im an idiot! i see what youre saying now........lol., i guess im having a fuzzy day....thanks for the input. they're ruling out infection as the cause right?

[dnlh]

Im totally lost on what you said...........if i had an infection wouldn't it show up in my blood work.......or would antibiotics disguise it?

[kenkeith]

It seems endocardium are of interest to be ruled negative in regard to cardiomyopathy (thickening, inflammation of heart muscle) and any valve issues.

For some insight, the endocardium is the inner lining of the heart muscle, which also covers the heart valves. When the endocardium becomes damaged, bacteria from the blood stream can become lodged on the heart valves or heart lining. The resulting infection is known as endocarditis.

Distinguishing between noninfective and infective endocarditis is difficult but important, because treatment differs. Noninfective endocarditis may be diagnosed when echocardiography detects vegetations on heart valves, but no bacteria are detected in blood samples. Anticoagulants may be used to prevent clotting, but their benefits have not been confirmed. Prognosis is generally poor, more because of the seriousness of the underlying disorder than because of the heart problem....noninfective endocarditis has been rule out...no information regarding infective endocarditis!