What condition occurs when the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick?

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the condition characterized by the abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, particularly affecting the ventricular walls. This thickening can lead to a variety of complications, such as obstruction of blood flow, impaired diastolic function, and potentially life-threatening arrhythmias. The thickening is often due to genetic mutations that affect the proteins of the heart muscle cells, leading to excessive growth.

In contrast, myocardial infarction refers to a heart attack where blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked, causing damage to the heart muscle but not specifically thickening. Cardiac arrest is a sudden, unexpected loss of heart function that is often the result of severe arrhythmias or other heart conditions, but it does not denote a thickened heart muscle. Dilated cardiomyopathy involves dilation and weakening of the heart chambers rather than thickening, leading to reduced cardiac output.

Understanding these distinctions helps in diagnosing and managing heart conditions effectively, particularly when considering symptoms and family history in the case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.