Dilated cardiomyopathy: A genetic approach

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a myocardial disease characterised by impaired systolic function and dilatation of the left or both ventricles. The disease is not rare, affecting about one in 2500 individuals' and, despite the development of new treatments, it remains an important cause of mortality and morbidity and is a leading indication for heart transplantation. The cause of dilated cardiomyopathy is generally unknown and the identification of the aetiological and pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the disease is regarded a research priority.(2) An important advance in the search for the aetiology has been the recognition of hereditary transmission in a subset of patients, which indicates that in these cases the origin of the disease must be an altered gene product. The recognition of dilated cardiomyopathy as a genetic disease has clinical implications. Furthermore, the development of molecular genetic techniques has provided the tools for the identification of the gene, or genes, causing the disease.