ABSTRACT
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the most common diseases of the myocardium, and a leading cause of heart failure in the United States. It comprises a group of diseases of the heart muscle that is characterized by both cardiac chamber dilation and systolic dysfunction. Myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease are common causes of DCM in the United States, but DCM may arise from a wide variety of etiologies, including hormonal disorders such as diabetes mellitus and thyroid disease, ingestion of certain substances or heavy metals, bacterial or viral infections, or connective tissue diseases. The etiology of DCM is often multifactorial, with both genetic and environmental components, although a number of genetic mutations have been identified in hereditary forms of DCM. The development of animal models of DCM has been important, not only in dissecting the pathways and mechanisms leading to heart failure, but also in identifying new molecular targets for therapeutic strategies, and providing physiological models of human heart failure in which to test these interventions.
