Features of the Clinical Courses and Life Prognosis of Patients with the Familial Form of Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Purpose: To study the prevalence, clinical hemodynamic characteristics and long-term prognosis of patients with the familial form of DCM. Material and methods: Over the period between 2000 and 2009, 221 patients with DCM were examined. Of these, 27 (12.2% of 221) cases of familial cardiomyopathy were diagnosed, based on anamnesis and clinical-functional examination. Subsequently, for comparative assessment, two groups were identified: Group I had 27 patients with familial DCM and Group II included 77 patients with the sporadic form. All the patients underwent ECG, ECG by Holter, a 6-minute walking test, roentgencardiometry, coronary angiography and their life prognosis were estimated. Results: In this study, it was established that the prevalence of familial DCM totaled to 12.2% versus the non-familial form, was associated with a much younger age group, in 1/3 cases was transmitted through the maternal line, and some patients were characterized by atrioventricular heart block. Conclusion: An analysis of near-term prognosis of the patients has revealed that the familial form and age below 30 years are associated with a rapid progression of the clinical course, coupled with increasing mortality in the first 12 months of follow-up. (C) 2011 International Medical Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved.