Study of Different Clinical Presentations of Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) and to Correlate Echocardiographic Findings with Different Clinical Presentations and to Find Out the Variables Which Determine Poor Outcomes

Cardiomyopathy is a primary disorder of the heart muscle that causes abnormal myocardial performance and is not the result of disease or dysfunction of other cardiac structures. The dominant feature is the direct involvement of the heart muscle itself distinctive because they are not the result of pericardial, valvular, hypertensive, or congenital disease.1
 The prevalence of heart failure is about 1 to 1.5 %of the adult population. The mortality and morbidity remain high (median survival of 1.7 years for men and 3.2 years for women. It occurs 3 times more frequently in males as compared to females. It is also more common in black.2
 The prevalence and incidence of heart failure due to dilated Cardiomyopathy in this part of Orissa are quite significant. In spite of such a large number of patients with heart failure due to dilated Cardiomyopathy, coming for treatment to physicians in this part of Orissa very few studies have been conducted regarding the clinical profile and echocardiographic abnormalities of DCM

Keeping this in view; the present study was undertaken
a) To study the different clinical presentations of dilated Cardiomyopathy.
b) To correlate Echocardiography findings with different clinical presentations. 
c) To find out the variables which determine the poor outcomes.