Clinical Course of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in a Regional United States Cohort

Abstract

In a regionally selected patient population most closely resembling the true disease state, HCM did not significantly increase the risk of premature death or adversely affect overall life expectancy. Prevailing misconceptions of HCM as a generally unfavorable condition may largely be related to the skewed patient referral patterns characteristic of tertiary care centers. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is nevertheless a highly complex disease capable of serious clinical consequences and premature death in some patients.