cardiomyopathy

noun

car·​dio·​my·​op·​a·​thy ˈkär-dē-ō-(ˌ)mī-ˈä-pə-thē 

plural cardiomyopathies

: any of several structural or functional diseases of heart muscle marked especially by hypertrophy and obstructive damage to the heart

Examples of cardiomyopathy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The transplanted heart went to 40-year-old Michael Scarlett, who was diagnosed with idiopathic viral cardiomyopathy, which led to heart failure. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2024

Take hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, a primarily genetic condition that results in a thickening of the walls of the heart—specifically its left ventricle, which is the chamber that pumps blood out of the heart and into the aorta. —Lori Oliwenstein, TIME, 12 Sep. 2024

Promoting Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a consequence of long-term alcohol use. —Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 8 Oct. 2024

Secondary restrictive cardiomyopathy is the deposition of abnormal substances within the heart muscle due to an underlying disease, such as sarcoidosis or amyloidosis. —Christopher Lee, Verywell Health, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

cardiomyopathy

noun

car·​dio·​my·​op·​a·​thy ˈkärd-ē-ō-(ˌ)mī-ˈäp-ə-thē 

plural cardiomyopathies

: any structural or functional disease of heart muscle that is marked especially by enlargement of the heart, by hypertrophy of cardiac muscle, or by rigidity and loss of flexibility of the heart walls and that may be idiopathic or attributable to a specific cause (such as heart valve disease, untreated high blood pressure, or viral infection)