Cardiomyopathy: Experts Attempt to Break DNA Barrier to Cure Genetic Heart Diseases Once and For All

Cardiomyopathy is known as an umbrella term pertaining to any disease of the heart muscle that prevents its ability to pump blood throughout the body. Health officials have considered the set of heart diseases to be some of the leading causes of death worldwide. Many people from different age groups are susceptible to the condition, wherein a prevailing myth suggest young people are immune to.

Currently, researchers are exploring the area of genetic studies to develop an injectable cure for the first time against cardiomyopathy, specifically genetic heart diseases. The area of focus in genetics is due to the fact that majority of cases of heart disorders are genetic in origin or by nature. The potential cure aims to silence or alter existing genes related to cardiomyopathies.

While there have been various medical approaches towards the heart muscle disease, the research team believes a genetic perspective could be the key towards the creation of genetic medicine and other forms of genetic medical treatments. The initiative's driving factor stems from the fact that there is no currently known cure for genetic heart diseases.

Lifestyle choices have been reported to be the greatest factor to either the development or prevention of hear diseases. However, scientists are still attributing that genetic faults play a major role when it comes to a person developing either of the deadly heart conditions. This means that a person is still at risk due to faulty or damaged genes.

Cardiomyopathy: Genetic Heart Diseases

(Photo : Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

In a news release on Wednesday, August 3, Medical News Today reported a research team called "CureHeart" was recently awarded a 30 million Euro grant from the British Heart Foundation. The fund will be used for the group's advancements concerning genetic treatments for cardiomyopathies.

Cardiomyopathies is extremely serious since patients can develop congestive heart failure and irregular heart rhythms, which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest, according to Dr. Edo Paz, a cardiologist and vice president of the digital medical care app K Health, who explained to Medical News Today.

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Potential Cardiomyopathy Cure

While there are other factors causing cardiomyopathy, the CureHeart team believes correcting the faulty genes in an individual's heart itself will provide a new treatment and ultimately a cure for it.

The team estimates that 1 in every 250 people are affected by genetic heart muscles diseases. In addition, related cases affecting around 260,000 people have been reported in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, 1.5 million cases are recorded in the United States.

What is Cardiomyopathy?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights the main types of cardiomyopathies include the following: dilate, hypertrophic, arrhythmogenic, and restrictive. In general, these forms either alter the size (thinness or thickness), heart rhythm, and structure of the heart muscle.

Aside from faulty genes, Johns Hopkins Medicine states the following main causes of cardiomyopathy:

•  alcohol abuse
•  high blood pressure
•  coronary heart disease
•  viral infections
•  certain medicines

Health authorities also attribute obesity, diabetes, stress, and smoking to be one of the main causes or risk of developing heart disease.

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