FOCUS on cardiomyopathies

Cardiomyopathies are a group of heart muscle diseases that can present at any age and can be associated with lifelong morbidity and mortality. Patients with cardiomyopathies can come to medical attention with common clinical presentations (e.g. heart failure, chest pain, arrhythmia). The diagnosis of cardiomyopathies requires a multidisciplinary and systematic approach that includes a detailed description of the phenotype and incorporates additional clinical, imaging, laboratory and genetic findings, both in the patient and their family, with the aim of reaching a precise aetiological diagnosis. There are a number of general management principles common to all cardiomyopathy subtypes, including family screening, symptom palliation and prevention of disease-related complications, including sudden cardiac death. Phenotype- and aetiology-specific management strategies are becoming increasingly available. These aspects form the basis of the new 2023 ESC Guidelines for the Management of Cardiomyopathies, which represent the first major international guidelines to cover all cardiomyopathy subtypes.