Re: Cardiomyopathy

Posted By CCF Cardio MD-SGM on November 13, 1997 at 11:00:32:

In Reply to: Cardiomyopathy posted by Penny B on October 23, 1997 at 04:41:35:







: I have hypertrophic cardiomyoppathy.  I'm 48.  In 1983 I had pericarditis and was treated with predisone for a year.  I was wondering if there could be any connection between the pericarditis and the cardiomyopathy that I now have?
Thank you for your time



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Dear Penny,
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy represents a heart disorder that arises from either a genetic predisposition(familial variant) or appears spontaneously in an individual.  Prednisone and other steroid medications can cause increased wall thickness in the left ventricle and rarely contribute to enlargement of this chamber of the heart. However, they have not been shown to cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  I would thus  be surprised if the prednisone played any significant role in the development of your condition.  
Information provided in the heart forum is for general medical informational purposes only. Please consult your physician for specific diagnoses the therapeutic recommendations.