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[Patients with cardiomyopathy screened by an annual health check]
Insights
Echocardiography screening detected 15 new cases of cardiomyopathy, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), in industrial workers. Early detection of asymptomatic cardiac conditions is crucial.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Preventive Medicine
- Diagnostic Imaging
Context:
- Annual health check-ups for 72,980 industrial workers.
- Screening conducted from April to October 1996.
- Focus on early detection of cardiac conditions.
Purpose:
- To assess the prevalence of cardiomyopathy in an industrial workforce.
- To evaluate the utility of echocardiography in mass screening.
- To identify asymptomatic cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
Summary:
- 12 new cases of HCM and 3 new cases of DCM were identified.
- No patients presented with symptoms; ST-T abnormalities and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) were noted.
- Echocardiography proved effective in detecting early-stage, asymptomatic cardiomyopathy.
Impact:
- Highlights the importance of echocardiography in population screening.
- Suggests echocardiography can identify cardiac abnormalities in both young and middle-aged individuals.
- Emphasizes the role of screening in preventing advanced cardiac disease in industrial workers.
Abstract:
We identified 12 new cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and 3 new cases of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM with echocardiography) in 72980 (aged 18-85 years, 43.1 +/- 14.1) industrial workers during an annual health check from April to October in 1996. Two of 3 patients with DCM were males, 21 and 25 years of age. No patients had symptoms. ST-T abnormalities by electrocardiography were found in 87% (13/15) of patients with cardiomyopathy and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in 53% (8/15). Our findings suggest that echocardiography is important in mass screening for early detection of asymptomatic cardiomyopathy in middle-aged as well as young patients with ST-T abnormalities.