Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)

At Aurora Health Care, our dedicated team of experts are known for providing the highest quality care and improved outcomes in treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). In fact, Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee is the only center in Wisconsin recognized as a Center of Excellence by the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association. This means you – and your family – will receive the best care for your best heart health.

What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy symptoms

The symptoms of HCM can be similar to other heart conditions. Often the symptoms may become more prominent after eating, especially after a large meal. If you have any of these symptoms, it’s best to see your doctor right away to get a prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can include:

• Shortness of breath with exertion
• Chest pain, often after physical activity
• Dizziness
• Fainting (syncope)
• Heart palpitations or fluttering in your chest, especially when exercising
• Arrhythmia, specifically tachycardia, a very fast heartbeat
• Rarely, cardiac arrest

You may not realize you have HCM until you develop an arrhythmia or go into sudden cardiac arrest.

Call 911 immediately if you think you are experiencing a heart attack.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy causes

Usually, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is inherited. If one of your parents, siblings or children have been diagnosed with this, it’s wise to have your doctor check you and your entire family for the condition.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often the condition behind sudden cardiac arrest (when the heart suddenly stops beating), especially when it happens in athletes and people younger than 60.

At what age does hypertrophic cardiomyopathy develop?

Approximately 1 in 500 people has HCM and it can develop at any age. If symptoms are present, they typically appear as you age.

How fast does hypertrophic cardiomyopathy progress?

HCM can be stable for a long span of time before it suddenly changes. If you’re diagnosed with HCM, prioritizing a healthy lifestyle is important. You'll also want to have regular cardiology visits so your condition can be closely monitored.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy diagnosis

Because HCM is often inherited and can be found in younger people, our specialists are here for you to detect and treat it early. We offer specialized screening and genetic testing to get you and your family the care you need as quickly as possible.

To diagnose HCM, we’ll ask about your symptoms and perform a thorough physical exam. We’ll likely order further testing and cardiac imaging tools for you, too. This may include:

• Lab testing, including blood tests
• Radiographic imaging, such as an X-ray, CT scan or MRI
• Echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart which uses high frequency sound waves to visualize structure, thickness and function of the heart
• Electrocardiogram (EKG) to check your heart’s electrical activity
• Electrophysiology study to further understand your heart’s electrical activity
• Monitoring, using a Holter or other portable monitor that sends reports to your doctor while you go about your daily activities
• Stress test to examine your heart and how it handles exercise
• Cardiac catheterization, where a long, thin tube called a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel to see how well your heart is working
• Genetic testing to see if the condition runs in your family

Find out more about our heart and vascular testing and diagnosis.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy treatment

At Aurora, we’ll always treat you with the greatest care and respect, making sure you get exactly the treatment you need. If you’re diagnosed with HCM, our team of experts will work together to develop a treatment plan that’s right for you. We’ll provide the most effective medication regimen and the latest in corrective procedures to improve your symptoms so you can get back to enjoying the things you love.

We may recommend:

• Lifestyle changes to improve your health, such as quitting smoking, avoiding high-intensity sports and limiting salt, alcohol and caffeine.
• Medications to lower your blood pressure, regulate your heart rate or rhythm, decrease water retention, prevent infection or help your heart pump better. Your doctor may prescribe a combination of prescriptions that include beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers, disopyramide, statins, diuretics or antibiotics.
• Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to help control an irregular heartbeat
• Septal reduction therapies to improve your symptoms and blood flow, such as:

• Alcohol septal ablation: This procedure treats thickened areas of the heart muscle with an infusion of alcohol to shrink the muscle.
• Septal myectomy: During this open-heart surgery, the surgeon removes part of the thickened heart muscle wall to improve blood flow.

Meet the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center team at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center

Director

A. Jamil Tajik, MD

Cardiovascular disease and advanced imaging

Patrycja Z. Galazka, MD
M. Fuad Jan, MD
Heather K. Sanders, NP – HCM Nurse Practitioner
Amanda Misicka – Nurse Coordinator

Electrophysiology

Arshad Jahangir, MD

Other Aurora electrophysiology specialists we may refer you to:

Jasbir S. Sra, MD
Mohammad E. Mortada, MD
Jodi L. Zilinski, MD
Vikram Nangia, MD
Andy Kieu, DO

Advanced heart failure and transplant

Asad Ghafoor, MD

Invasive cardiology

M. Fuad Jan, MD
Suhail Q. Allaqaband, MD
Tanvir K. Bajwa, MD

Cardiothoracic surgery

John Crouch, MD
Eric S. Weiss, MD

To schedule an appointment, please call 414-385-2400.