Signs Of Cardiomyopathy

Weight Gain

Weight gain is a symptom of several types of cardiomyopathy, but the most prevalent forms that cause weight gain are peripartum cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. Peripartum cardiomyopathy describes when the heart is unable to pump blood around the body sufficiently due to weakening from the excessive workload pregnancy puts on the heart. This type of cardiomyopathy develops in the last month of pregnancy or shortly after giving birth.

Fluid can accumulate in the body when the heart is weakened from this type of cardiomyopathy because the kidneys are unable to excrete extra sodium and fluids. Dilated cardiomyopathy is when the heart muscles become stretched out and thin. The thin heart muscles are not able to pump blood effectively, which also causes the kidneys to have a reduced ability to excrete sodium and fluid. The extra fluid retained in the body due to cardiomyopathy is what causes weight gain.

Nausea

There are several reasons why nausea can develop in cardiomyopathy patients. All forms of cardiomyopathy cause a reduced amount of blood flow to the organs that make up the gastrointestinal tract. Reduced blood flow to the muscles that move food through the digestive tract can cause it to stagnate in the stomach or intestines for too long. When food moves through the digestive tract too slowly, bacteria can overgrown.

The bacterial overgrowth in the intestines causes nausea because the byproducts of bacterial breakdown of food are toxic. The decreased production of stomach acid and other digestive enzymes can also cause nausea by allowing bacterial overgrowth. Fluid retention caused by cardiomyopathy can result in nausea when excessive pressure is placed on the organs of a patient's digestive tract. Cardiomyopathy can also alter the amount of oxygen provided to certain brain tissues and cause nausea if the nausea center in the brain is affected.