title: Good prognosis for dilated cardiomyopathy without severe heart failure or arrhythmia.
abstract: In 124 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, symptoms of heart failure and ventricular arrhythmia at initial assessment were related to outcome a mean of 43 months later. Using life table analysis, the two-year mortality from progressive heart failure was 59 per cent (90 per cent symptoms, six per cent (1-11 per cent) for patients with class 2 symptoms and zero for patients with class 1 symptoms. The two-year mortality from sudden death was 18 per cent (5-32 per cent) for patients with class 3 symptoms, eight per cent (3-14 per cent) for patients with class 2 symptoms and seven per cent (0-17 per cent) for patients with class 1 symptoms. Sudden death was more frequent in patients with ventricular tachycardia or frequent ventricular ectopics, irrespective of the severity of heart failure (15 per cent (7-23 per cent) vs. three per cent (0-8 per cent) at two years). These findings suggest that patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and mild symptoms often have a benign clinical course. However, occult ventricular arrhythmia is associated with an increased risk of sudden death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Oakley
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000401:mortality; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors