Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health
The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association and Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health convened clinicians who specialize in treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy on March 3, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana to identify methods to improve patient access.
Clinicians included:
• Kia Afshar, MD, Intermountain Medical
• Bipul Baibhav, MD, Rochester Regional
• Lubna Choudhury, MD, Northwestern
• Milind Desai, MD, Cleveland Clinic
• Matt Martinez, MD, Atlantic Health
• Alanna Morris, MD, Emory
• Srihari S. Naidu, MD, Westchester
• Anjali Owens, MD, UPenn
• Dharmesh Patel, MD, Stern Cardiovascular
• Timothy Wong, MD, UPMC


POSITION STATEMENT: HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY
Nearly one in every 250 people have HCM, but a large percentage of patients go undiagnosed because symptoms mimic other non-cardiac-related diseases.
The most common symptoms are shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and fatigue, meaning patients are often misdiagnosed with asthma, anxiety attacks, or panic attacks.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, is a genetic disorder that occurs when the heart muscle thickens, making it harder to pump blood.
Many people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy often go undiagnosed. This is because the symptoms of HCM aren’t always immediately recognized as indicators of a cardiac condition.