Natural History of Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) continues to be an etiological and pathogenetic enigma. Many possible causes have been considered and are being studied at present. Genetic factors, virus infections, autoimmunity alcohol, pregnancy, and slight hypertension may play a role. However the etiology continues to be unknown in a large percentage of patients. The possibility of different etiological factors and of various pathogenetic mechanisms may explain the heterogeneity of clinical presentation, functional status, complications, and characteristics of evolution and response to therapy of the disease [22].