This document discusses hypertensive heart disease and cardiomyopathies. It describes how hypertensive heart disease can lead to left ventricular hypertrophy over time as an adaptive response to chronic hypertension. If compensated, it may be asymptomatic, but can eventually lead to heart failure, arrhythmias or sudden death. Three main types of cardiomyopathy are discussed - dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy is characterized by ventricular dilation and contractile dysfunction, while hypertrophic cardiomyopathy involves thickened heart walls and restrictive cardiomyopathy decreases ventricular compliance. Various genetic and acquired causes are provided for each type.
2. • Hypertrophy
• Causes for LVH
• Causes for RVH
• Complications of systemic HTN
• Name some causes for cardimegaly?
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3. Systemic (Left-Sided) Hypertensive
Heart Disease
• Hypertrophy of the heart is an adaptive
response to the pressure overload of
chronic hypertension
• In the course of time, compensatory
changes may be ultimately maladaptive
and can lead to myocardial dysfunction,
cardiac dilation, CHF or sudden death
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4. Systemic Hypertensive Heart Disease
The minimal pathologic criteria for the
diagnosis of systemic HHD are:
1. Left ventricular hypertrophy and
2. Pathologic evidence of hypertension in
other organs (e.g., kidney)
Even mild hypertension (levels only slightly above
140/90 mm Hg)—if sufficiently prolonged—induces left
ventricular hypertrophy
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5. Systemic Hypertensive Heart Disease
Hypertension induces:
• Left ventricular hypertrophy
– Initially concentric hypertrophy
– Left ventricular wall thickening >2cm
– Increase in weight of the heart >500gm
• Left atrial enlargement (due to diastolic filling)
Microscopically:
– Increase in transverse diameter of the cardiac muscle
fiber
– Interstitial fibrosis
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7. Systemic Hypertensive Heart Disease
• Asymptomatic, if compensated
– ECG / Echo evidence of LVH
• Many patients present with
– Atrial fibrillation
– CCF
Complications:
– IHD
– Stroke
– Renal damage
– Progressive cardiac failure
• Effective control of HTN reduces the chances of
complications
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8. Pulmonary (Right-Sided) Hypertensive
Heart
Disease (Cor Pulmonale)
• Chronic cor pulmonale is characterized by:
– RVH
– Right sided heart failure
• Acute cor pulmonale can follow massive pulmonary
embolism
MORPHOLOGY:
Acute CP - marked dilation of the RV
Chronic CP
RVH =/>1cm (Normal thickness 0.3-0.5cm)
Thickening of moderator band
RVH may encroach on to left ventricle and cause fibrous thickening
of Tricuspid valve and TR
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10. Pulmonary embolism (PE)
• The most common
ECG finding in the PE
is sinus tachycardia
• However, the
"S1Q3T3" pattern of
acute cor pulmonale
is classic
• This is termed the
McGinn-White sign
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14. Cardiomyopathies
• They are primary diseases of the myocardium
• due to genetic causes
• Associated with inappropriate ventricular
hypertrophy or dilatation
• Causing mechanical and/or electrical
dysfunction
• often leading to cardiovascular death or
progressive heart failure
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15. Cardiomyopathies
Presentations:
• CCH
• Arrhythmias
Types:
• Primary cardiomyopathies (genetic or
acquired diseases of myocardium)
• Secondary cardiomyopathies (myocardial
involvement as a component of a systemic
or multiorgan disorder)
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16. Exclusion
Ventricular dysfunction due to:
• Ischemia
• Valvular Abnormalities
• Hypertension
should not be denoted as cardiomyopathies
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17. ClassificationClassification
Can be classified according to a variety of
criteria:
1.Underlying genetic basis
2.Arrhythmia-inducing channelopathies
3.Those producing anatomic abnormalities
– Three pathologic patterns:
• Dilated cardiomyopathy (including ARVH) [90%]
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• Restrictive cardiomyopathy [Rarest]
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18. Can you name some
channelopathies?
• Cystic fibrosis
• Familial periodic paralysis
• Long QT syndrome
• Myesthenia gravis
• Myotonia congenita
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25. Schematic of a myocyte, showing key proteins mutated
in dilated cardiomyopathy (red labels), hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy (blue labels), or both (green labels).
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29. What is “cor bovinum” ?
• Bovine heart [>1000gm]
• Seen in Syphilis,
• AR due to other causes
• Dilated cardiamyopathy
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30. Name some causes for globular heart?
• Wet Beri beri
• AR due to any cause [Tertiary Syphilis]
• Dilated cardimyopathy
• Chaga’s disease
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31. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular
cardiomyopathy (ARVC)
• Inherited disease, AD
• Right ventricular failure and rhythm
disturbances
– Ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation
• Sudden death
Morphology:
• Fatty infiltration and
• Fibrosis
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33. Name some causes for fatty heart?
[Fatty change of the heart]
• Anemia
• ARVH
• Diphtheria
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34. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
• Inherited disease, AD
• Many genes are involved
– HCM is a disease caused by mutations in
proteins of the sarcomere
– Most common is the gene encoding β-myosin
heavy chain (β-MHC)
• Myocardial hypertrophy
• Poorly compliant LV > defective diastolic
filling
• Intermittent ventricular out flow obstrction
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The minimal pathologic criteria for the diagnosis of systemic HHD are:
Left ventricular hypertrophy (usually concentric) in the absence of other cardiovascular pathology and
A clinical history or pathologic evidence of hypertension in other organs (e.g., kidney)
Hypertension induces left ventricular pressure overload hypertrophy, initially without ventricular dilation. As a result, the left
ventricular wall thickening increases the weight of the heart disproportionately to the increase in overall cardiac size (Fig.
12-20A). The thickness of the left ventricular wall may exceed 2.0 cm, and the heart weight may exceed 500 gm. In time the
increased thickness of the left ventricular wall, often associated with increased interstitial connective tissue, imparts a stiffness
that impairs diastolic filling, frequently with consequent left atrial enlargement.Microscopically, the earliest change of systemic HHD is an
increase in the transverse diameter of myocytes, which may be difficult to appreciate on routine microscopy. At a more
advanced stage variable degrees of cellular and nuclear enlargement become apparent, often accompanied by interstitial
fibrosis.
Thickening of the moderator band, the muscle bundle that connects the ventricular septum to the anterior right ventricular papillary muscle.
Pulmonary Embolism ECG
The most common ECG finding in the setting of a pulmonary embolism is sinus tachycardia, however the "S1Q3T3" pattern of acute cor pulmonale is classic. This is termed the McGinn-White sign.
A large S wave in lead I, a Q wave in lead III, and an inverted T wave in lead III indicates acute right heart strain. This pattern only occurs in about 10% of people with pulmonary embolisms and is similar to the ECG findings in a left posterior fascicular block (LPFB). Recall that sinus tachycardia is actually the most common ECG finding during a pulmonary embolus.
Figure 12-20 Hypertensive heart disease, systemic and pulmonary. A, Systemic (left-sided) hypertensive
heart disease. There is marked concentric thickening of the left ventricular wall causing reduction in
lumen size. The left ventricle and left atrium (asterisk) are on the right in this apical four-chamber view of
the heart. A pacemaker is present in the right ventricle (arrow). B, Pulmonary (right-sided) hypertensive heart disease (cor pulmonale). The right ventricle is markedly dilated and has a thickened free wall and hypertrophied trabeculae (apical four-chamber view of heart, right ventricle on left). The shape of the left ventricle (to the right) has been distorted by the enlarged right ventricle.
“Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases of the myocardium associated with mechanical and/or electrical dysfunction that usually (but not invariably) exhibit inappropriate ventricular hypertrophy or dilatation and are due to a variety of causes that frequently are genetic.
Cardiomyopathies either are confined to the heart or are part of generalized systemic disorders, often leading to cardiovascular death or progressive heart failure-related disability.”
“Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases of the myocardium associated with mechanical and/or electrical dysfunction that usually (but not invariably) exhibit inappropriate ventricular hypertrophy or dilatation and are due to a variety of causes that frequently are genetic.
Cardiomyopathies either are confined to the heart or are part of generalized systemic disorders, often leading to cardiovascular death or progressive heart failure-related disability.”
genetic causes, including mutations in myocardial proteins involved in contraction, cell-cell contacts,
and the cytoskeleton. These, in turn, lead to abnormal contraction or relaxation, or to dysregulated ion transport
across cell membranes.
ARVH = arrhythmogenic right ventricular (hypertrophy) cardiomyopathy
Figure 12-29 The three major morphologic patterns of cardiomyopathy.
Dilated cardiomyopathy leads primarily to systolic dysfunction, whereas
restrictive and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies result in diastolic dysfunction.
Note the changes in atrial and/or ventricular wall thickness. Ao, Aorta;
LA, left atrium; LV, left ventricle.
Genetic Influences. DCM is familial in at least 30% to 50% of cases, in which it is caused by mutations in a diverse
group of more than 20 genes encoding proteins involved in the cytoskeleton, sarcolemma, and nuclear envelope
(laminin A/C). In particular, mutations in TTN, a gene that encodes titin (so-called because it is the largest
protein expressed in humans), may account for approximately 20% of all cases of DCM (Fig. 12-30).
In the genetic forms of DCM, autosomal dominant inheritance is the predominant pattern; X-linked, autosomal
recessive, and mitochondrial inheritance are less common. In some families there are deletions in mitochondrial
genes that result in defects in oxidative phosphorylation; in others there are mutations in genes encoding enzymes involved in β-oxidation of fatty acids. Mitochondrial defects typically manifest in the pediatric population, while X-linked DCM typically presents after puberty and into early adulthood.
Childbirth. A special form of DCM, termed peripartum cardiomyopathy, can occur late in pregnancy or up to months postpartum. The mechanism underlying
this entity is poorly understood but is probably multifactorial. Pregnancy-associated hypertension, volume overload, nutritional deficiency, other metabolic
derangements, or an as yet poorly characterized immunological reaction have been proposed as causes.
Supraphysiologic stress can also result in DCM. This can happen with persistent tachycardia, hyperthyroidism, or even during development, as in the fetuses of insulindependent diabetic mothers. Excess catecholamines, in particular, may result in multifocal myocardial contraction band necrosis that can eventually progress to DCM. This can happen in individuals with pheochromocytomas, tumors that elaborate epinephrine (Chapter 24); use of cocaine or vasopressor agents such as dopamine can have similar consequences. Such “catecholamine effect” also occurs in the setting of intense autonomic
stimulation, for example, secondary to intracranial lesions or emotional duress.
Thus, takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an entity characterized by left ventricular contractile dysfunction following extreme psychological stress;
affected myocardium may be stunned or show multifocal contraction band necrosis. For unclear reasons, the left ventricular apex is most often affected leading to “apical ballooning” that resembles a “takotsubo,” Japanese for “fishing pot for trapping octopus” (hence, the name)
Thus, takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an entity characterized by left ventricular contractile
dysfunction following extreme psychological stress; affected myocardium may be stunned or show multifocal
contraction band necrosis. For unclear reasons, the left ventricular apex is most often affected leading
to “apical ballooning” that resembles a “takotsubo,” Japanese for “fishing pot for trapping octopus” (hence,
the name)
Figure 12-30 Schematic of a myocyte, showing key proteins mutated in dilated cardiomyopathy (red labels), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (blue labels), or both (green labels). Mutations in titin (the largest known human protein at approximately 30,000 amino acids) account for approximately 20% of all dilated cardiomyopathy. Titin spans the sarcomere and connects the Z and M bands thereby limiting the passive range of motion of the sarcomere as it is stretched. Titin also functions like a molecular spring, with domains that unfold when the protein is stretched and refold when the tension is removed, thereby impacting the passive elasticity of striated muscle
Figure 12-31 Causes and consequences of dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Some dilated cardiomyopathies and virtually all hypertrophic cardiomyopathies
are genetic in origin. The genetic causes of dilated cardiomyopathy involve mutations in any of a wide range of genes. They encode proteins predominantly of the cytoskeleton, but also the sarcomere, mitochondria, and nuclear envelope. In contrast, all of the mutated genes that cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy encode proteins of the sarcomere. Although these two forms of cardiomyopathy differ greatly in subcellular basis and morphologic phenotypes, they share a common set of clinical complications. LV, left ventricle.
The average weight of the normal heart in man is about 300 gm. Through athletic exertion it can attain a weight of 500 gm. This increase is due to an extension of physiologic growth, with the fibers increasing in length and width but not increasing in number.
Figure 12-32 Dilated cardiomyopathy. A, Four-chamber dilatation and hypertrophy are evident. There is a mural thrombus (arrow) at the apex of the left ventricle (on the right in this apical four-chamber view). The coronary arteries were patent. B, Histologic section demonstrating variable myocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis (collagen is highlighted as blue in this Masson trichrome stain).
Figure 12-33 Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. A, Gross photograph, showing dilation of the right ventricle and near-transmural replacement of the right ventricular free-wall by fat and fibrosis. The left ventricle has a virtually normal configuration in this case, but can also be involved by the disease process. B, Histologic section of the right ventricular free wall, demonstrating replacement of myocardium (red) by fibrosis (blue, arrow) and fat (Masson trichrome stain).
Figure 12-33 Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. A, Gross photograph, showing dilation of the right ventricle and near-transmural replacement
of the right ventricular free-wall by fat and fibrosis. The left ventricle has a virtually normal configuration in this case, but can also be involved by the disease
process. B, Histologic section of the right ventricular free wall, demonstrating replacement of myocardium (red) by fibrosis (blue, arrow) and fat (Masson trichrome
stain).
Figure 12-34 Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with
asymmetric septal hypertrophy. A, The septal
muscle bulges into the left ventricular outflow
tract, and the left atrium is enlarged. The anterior
mitral leaflet has been reflected away from the
septum to reveal a fibrous endocardial plaque
(arrow) (see text). B, Histologic appearance demonstrating
myocyte disarray, extreme hypertrophy,
and exaggerated myocyte branching, as
well as the characteristic interstitial fibrosis (collagen
is blue in this Masson trichrome stain).
Thus, takotsubo cardiomyopathy
is an entity characterized by left ventricular contractile
dysfunction following extreme psychological stress;
affected myocardium may be stunned or show multifocal
contraction band necrosis. For unclear reasons,
the left ventricular apex is most often affected leading
to “apical ballooning” that resembles a “takotsubo,”
Japanese for “fishing pot for trapping octopus” (hence,
the name)