The treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy involves drug therapy such as beta blockers or calcium channel blockers such as Verapamil, which by improving the compliance of the left ventricle, they help the heart fill more easily with blood and by reducing the contractility of the left ventricle they limit the outflow tract gradient, allowing blood to more easily leave the left heart chamber. These medications markedly improve the hemodynamics in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and help minimize the symptoms of shortness of breath and chest pain. Natural history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - the clinical course is varied. Most patients remain stable and the percentage of severely symptomatic patients increases with age. The onset of atrial fibrillation can lead to a striking increase in symptoms and prompt cardioversion is usually indicated.
Pregnancy is generally well tolerated.
Progression of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to a dilated cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure is an unusual but serious occurrence. Death can be sudden in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and may occur in previously asymptomatic patients, in individuals who are unaware they had the disease, or in patients with an otherwise stable course. There is a sub group of patients in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy whose family's premature death is usually frequent. No specific clinical feature of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy appears to identify patients at risk of sudden death. It has been suggested that a history of syncope, severe shortness of breath and ventricular tachycardia may be more common in patients at risk of sudden cardiac death.