Abstract
Introduction. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by global cardiac dilation associated with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction without valvar substrate or ischemic heart disease. Diagnosis of idiopathic DCM can only be sustained after excluding other nongenetic causes.
Methods. This study was performed on a cohort of 256 patients who died in Emergency County Hospital of Oradea and had diagnosis of DCM; the study was performed on a period of 2 years, from January 2014 until the end of December 2015. These patients were differentiated according to social criteria, background, department of admission, number of autopsies and co-morbidities.
Results and Discussion. Diagnosis of DCM was more common in male patients up to the age of 70; after this age the tendency is towards equalization. In patients aged 61-80 years, DCM played a major role in tanatogenesis. Existing clinical trials have shown that patients with idiopathic DCM have a lower mortality than patients with cardiac ischemic disease.
Conclusions. Despite the possibility of diagnosis with increased sensitivity and the large number of therapeutic options, multicentre studies and registries are needed to improve the life expectancy of these patients.