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itself. If inflammation has injured the heart tissue, it is called myocarditis. If it is a defect in the heart tissue itself it is called a cardiomyopathy.

There are three main types of cardiomyopathies: dilated, hypertrophic, and restrictive. Dilated cardiomyopathy has progressive contractile dysfunction with both dilation and hypertrophy of the chambers. It occurs with alcohol abuse, toxicity, viral infections, and genetic mutations. Dilation can be pictured as a balloon being stretched out.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy presents with pronounced hypertrophy of the left ventricle and interventricular septum, mitral valve thickening, outflow obstruction, and abnormal diastolic filling. Restrictive cardiomyopathy can be explained as the thickening of the heart. Its most common form is a tropical childhood disease called endomyocardial fibrosis. The ventricles eventually become noncompliant.

Cor Pulmonale

Cor pulmonale is a secondary pulmonary heart disease of the right side of the heart caused by pulmonary hypertension or disease. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most common cause of chronic cor pulmonale. This disorder is another cause of right-sided heart failure.

Valve Disorders

Deformed or blocked valves can obstruct a chamber, increasing its workload to force blood through; they are more susceptible to infection; and can result in regurgitation, blood flowing backwards into the wrong chamber.

Valves can undergo stenosis or prolapse. Inflammation, called valvulitis, can lead to a scarring and stenosis. Stenotic valves are not as flexible, may shrink leaving a hole between the chambers, and require replacement. The stenosis can also be due to calcium deposits or vegetative growths (infective endocarditis). Prolapse is a stretching of the valves, leaving them "floppy," and leads to regurgitation.

Endocarditis is the deposition of particles along the valves. It can be infectious, nonbacterial thrombotic, or sterile vegetations in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or other autoimmune disorders (known as Libman-Sacks)

Rheumatic fever is an immune reaction against group A Streptococcus. If strep throat is not appropriately treated in can cause rheumatic heart disease among other problems due to the antibodies the immune system produces against it. This results in fibrosis of the valves, among other tissues, hindering their performance and eventually leading to cardiac failure.

Pericardial Disease

The pericardium is the membrane surrounding the

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