Clinical and Echocardiographic Study of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Tanzania

ABSTRACT

There are few published reports on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Africans. Due to lack of echocardiography machines in most hospital centers; clinical identification of HCM remains confined to those patients with a loud heart murmur associated with the outflow gradient. Between June 1998 and October 2002; 134 patients were studied at Hindu Mandal Hospital; 67.9were male and 32.1were female. Their mean age was 54.8 + 14.2 years. The presenting symptoms were Dyspnoea 62.7; Chest pain 55.9; Palpitations 50.7(Pre-syncope 21.6; Syncope 8.9) Due to the diverse clinical features; only 8(5.9) patients had a correct diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in their echocardiography request forms. Others were diagnosed as Ischaemic heart disease 31.8; Dilated Cardiomyopathy 29.9; Mitrol valve prolapse 11.2and Arrhythmias 6.7. Using Echocardiography; the pattern of LVH among these patients was found to be Asymmetrical septal hypertrophy in 50.7and apical hypertrophy in 3.0. The important role of echocardiography in diagnosis is stressed with a plea for the increasing availability of this non-invasive technique for early and accurate diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy