In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the heart muscles become thick and contract with difficulty. Dilated cardiomyopathy involves an enlarged heart ventricle, in which the muscles thin out rather than becoming thick, causing reduced systolic blood pressure. Although the cause of dilated cardiomyopathies is often not known, one study found that hypertension is strongly associated with this disorder. Researchers recently have identified a site on chromosome 1 where they believe genes that cause many cases of dilated cardiomyopathies may reside. Other Causes Alcoholism may also produce heart failure, since chronic abuse can damage the heart muscles or cause hypertension.
Severe emphysema is a major cause of right-sided congestive heart failure.
A number of other factors may also precipitate heart failure. These include excessive salt consumption, hyperthyroidism, thiamine deficiency, pneumonia, high fever, and failure of the liver or kidneys. Rarely, certain viral illnesses cause an infection of the heart muscle known as acute myocarditis, which produces temporary, but potentially life-threatening, heart failure. The heart has a number of mechanisms that are used to correct imbalances in pressure and blood flow caused by high blood pressure and other diseases that directly contribute to heart failure. Unfortunately, while these corrective responses help in the short term, they increase the work of the heart and can do considerable damage over the long term.