In this procedure, a thin plastic tube is inserted through a blood vessel until it reaches the heart. A dye is injected and x rays taken to assess the heart's structure and function. Treatment Since dilated cardiomyopathy is hard to diagnose early, it is rarely treated in its beginning stage. The goal of treatment is to relieve any complicating factor, if known, control the symptoms, and stop the disease's progression. However, no cure now exists.
Therapy begins with the elimination of obvious risk factors, such as alcohol consumption.
Weight loss and dietary changes, especially salt restriction, may also be advised. Also, patients with irregular heartbeats may be put on any of various drugs to control the rhythm. In critical cases where the condition is advanced and the patient does not sufficiently respond to other treatments, a heart transplantation may be needed. The patient's heart is replaced with a donor heart. Most heart transplant recipients are under age 60 and in good health other than their diseased heart.