Exclusive: Scientists find a way to forecast hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which affects millions worldwide
Scientists are developing a simple blood test to predict who is most at risk from the world’s most common inherited heart condition.
Millions of people worldwide have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease of the heart muscle where the wall of the heart becomes thickened. It is caused by a change in one or more genes and mostly passed on through families.
Some feel fine most of the time and have few or no symptoms. But others can suffer complications, such as heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms, which can lead to a cardiac arrest.
The problem is there is no cure. Doctors also do not know which patients with the genetic condition are most at risk from deadly complications.
