Clinical Course and Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common monogenic cardiovascular disorder, is diverse in presentation and natural history, frequently misunderstood, and often underrecognized in clinical practice.1-3 A comprehensive clinical description of the disease was first made 55 years ago by the Braunwald group at the National Institutes of Health; at that time it was called idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis.4 An understanding of diagnostic features, genetic factors, clinical course, and management of the broad spectrum of HCM has evolved measurably, particularly in the past 15 years.1-3,5-10 A vast literature (more than 18,000 reports) has emerged, and in many respects, contemporary HCM differs markedly from the disease of previous eras. Copyright © 2018 Massachusetts Medical Society.