European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Introduction: "Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCMP)" is characterized by enlargement of one or both Ventricles and is accompanied by impaired LV function.. The causes can be primary (idiopathic) or secondary. Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome resulting from the inability of the heart to pump resulting in inadequate metabolic demands of the tissues, or do so only with elevated filling pressures. Common symptoms are Dyspnea, fatigue, edema, syncope, and dysrhythmias. Heart Failure (HF) is predominantly a disorder of the elderly with rates increasing exponentially with time.  Aims and objectives: The objective of this study is to examine and record the clinical characteristics of individuals diagnosed with “Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCMP”). Method: This retrospective observational study was conducted from September 2022 to August 2023 and involved 400 consecutive dilated cardiomyopathy patients. Patient examinations included clinical, ECG, radiography, and echocardiographic. Echocardiography criteria for impaired left ventricular systolic performance were ejection fraction below 45%, regional wall motion abnormalities, global hypokinesia of LV, heart chamber dilatation without valvular or congenital heart problems, and end-diastolic dimension above 3 cm per body surface area. Result: Smoking, alcoholism, Diabetes and hypertension were the leading risk factors in developing HF. Breathlessness(82.25%), swelling of the feet (50%) and palpitation (48%) were the most common symptoms observed in the patients. Edema of feet (50%), basal crepts (50.5%), raised and Jugular Venous Distention (JVD) (44.75%) were the leading signs in the patients. Chest X-ray (CXR) findings indicate that 62.75%  to 70% of the patients reported with increased Cardiothoracic ratio. ECG findings were : 59.5% had normal QRS axes, 25.5% had LAD, 15.00% had RAD. Common arrhythmias included sinus tachycardia (30.00%), ectopic beats (30.5%), AFib (21.75%), VT (8.00%), SVT (9.25%). LBBB was at 6.75%, RBBB at 3.00%. LA enlargement was 45.75%, RA 19.5%. LVH was present in 12.5% (left), 8.00% (right), and 3.00% (both). Patients with impaired cardiac function had an average EF% of 34.4 ± 6.03 (range: 20-45). LVDD and LVSD measures were 5.53 ± 0.74 cm and 4.46 ± 0.75 cm. Mitral regurgitation (MR) was present in 82%, TR in 14.00%. Wall motion abnormalities were widespread (97.25%). Pericardial effusion was found in 5.7% of patients. Moderate to severe Pulmonary artery hypertension was found in 19.5% Conclusion: The study has concluded that “dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)” is mainly a disease of middle and elderly people with a higher prevalence among males. Pulmonary hypertension and very low ejection fraction was associated with adverse outcome.