In general. there are three varieties of heart failure :
· Dilated cardiomyopathy
· Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
· Diastolic heart failure.
Dilated cardiomyopathy
This type of heart failure is the most common variety. It also referred to as congestive cardiomyopathy or congestive heart failure often. When the ventricles (the large pumping chambers of the heart) are weakened, flaccid and dilated, it leads to dilated cardiomyopathy. Thereby, the pumping action of the ventricle becomes weak, and it fails to pump adequate amount of blood with each heart beat to various organs. Other types of heart diseases, especially coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease end in dilated cardiomyopathy.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
This type of heart failure is a common congenital heart disorder (affecting almost 1 in 500 people) and it is genetic disorder occurring in members of same family. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by a thickening of the heart muscle, resulting in “stiff” a ventricle which distorts the filling of the heart with blood. This leads to symptoms like extreme shortness of breath, especially during exercise. Obstruction in the left ventricle similar to that seen with aortic stenosis, may also be seen due to the thickening of the heart muscle.. Increased risk of sudden death is seen in some patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Diastolic heart failure
This is akin to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in terms of “stiffening” of the heart muscle, causing impairment in filling of the heart with blood. But diastolic heart failure does not involve thickening of the heart muscle, nor is it a genetic disorder. Elder people are more prone to this, more often in women and in patients with high blood pressure. The symptoms include sudden episodes of severe shortness of breath, due to blocking of fluid in the lungs. Such condition is called pulmonary edema.