This is a rare disease and most cases are inherited. It can affect men and women of all ages, and symptoms can appear in childhood or adulthood. Symptoms include shortness of breath on exertion, dizziness, fainting, and angina pectoris. Some patients experience cardiac arrhythmias, which may lead to sudden death. This occurs most often in middle-aged people and more often in men than women, but has been diagnosed in people of all ages, including children.
Most patients develop congestive heart failure.
Dilated cardiomyopathy can be caused by chronic, excessive consumption of alcohol along with dietary deficiencies. It occasionally occurs as a complication of pregnancy and childbirth. Sometimes drugs used to treat a different medical condition can damage the heart and produce dilated cardiomyopathy. However, in most cases, a specific cause for the damage is never identified. It usually results from another disease, which occurs elsewhere in the body.