What drugs are used to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a type of hereditary cardiomyopathy and is diagnosed primarily on the basis of myocardial hypertrophy, provided that diseases such as hypertension and hypertrophy caused by cardiac hypertrophy in athletes are excluded. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has a mortality rate of 1% to 2% and often presents as sudden death. Patients may present with dyspnea, chest pain, arrhythmias, and syncope. Today we talk about what medications are used for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Drug therapy is the basic treatment modality for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Currently, the main clinical drugs for outflow tract obstruction are beta-blockers and non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers. There are some experts and scholars who believe that patients with asymptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be observed without medication. Others believe that small to moderate doses can be given to slow disease progression. β-blockers are the first-line drugs of choice to reduce left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. If the patient cannot tolerate beta-blockers, then non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers are available, with verapamil and diltiazem being the most commonly used in clinical practice. However, the combination of these two types of drugs is not recommended, as both types of drugs have negative inotropic effects, and the combination may lead to bradycardia and hypotension. Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy often develop heart failure or atrial fibrillation gradually, and these problems are mainly treated with symptomatic support. Small doses of nitrates can be applied, but if the patient has outflow tract obstruction, then this drug should be avoided. In patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, this can be combined with the use of corticosterone for redirection, or with anticoagulation and ventricular rate control in patients who develop persistent or permanent atrial fibrillation. In patients with refractory obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the ultimate effective option is heart transplantation, and most patients may experience sudden cardiac death, heart failure, or stroke. Depending on the actual condition of the patient, surgical procedures, alcohol ablation, and pacing therapy are also available.