Clinical and echocardiographic spectrum of dilated cardiomyopathy: A single-center study

ABSTRACT Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a leading cause of heart failure, characterized by ventricular dilation and impaired systolic function. This study aims to evaluate clinical and echocardiographic features in patients with DCM at a single center. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study of patients diagnosed with DCM at our center from December 2023 to May 2024. Data collected included demographic information, clinical presentation, and echocardiographic parameters (left ventricular ejection fraction and chamber dimensions). Results: A total of 50 patients with higher prevalence of male gender (56%) and a mean age of 52.2 years were included. Most (70%) of the patients were presented with breathlessness and orthopnea followed by excessive perspiration (60%), bilateral pedal edema (50%), paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (40%), and palpitations (30%). Echocardiographic findings demonstrated that DCM patients had lower baseline mean left ventricular ejection fractions (30% ±3.45%) and larger left ventricular end-diastolic diameters (60 ± 4.23 mm), and the left ventricular end-systolic diameter (45 ± 3.57 mm) was also increased. Mitral regurgitation (MR) was found in 80% of the population; of them, 20% had severe, 30% had moderate, and 30% had mild MR. The mean pulmonary artery pressure was elevated (30 ± 4.23 mmHg). Conclusions: Our study concludes that DCM is mainly found in middle-aged male population and clinically presents with breathlessness and orthopnea. Echocardiography shows reduced mean left ventricular ejection fraction and MR in majority of the patients.