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Dilated cardiomyopathy is a serious condition in which the heart muscle becomes weakened and loses strength to pump blood throughout the body. In an attempt to make up for the loss of blood supply, greater amounts of blood fill the hearts lower chambers. The ventricles expand and, in time, the heart muscle stretches out of shape, or dilates, and becomes even weaker. Most individuals with cardiomyopathy eventually develop heart failure, a condition in which the ventricles are not able to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs for oxygen and nutrients.
In many instances, the cause of dilated cardiomyopathy is unknown. This is medically referred to as primary cardiomyopathy. In some cases the patient inherits the tendency to develop dilated cardiomyopathy from their parents.
In secondary cardiomyopathy, there are several factors that have been attributed to damage of the heart muscle. Doctors have discovered that myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, can trigger......

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Approximate Word Count: 398
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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