Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
By Jeremy Chen-Tilley
What are the key organs and processes that occur in the system? How does the disease impact the body? Describe the disease
The key organs and processes that occur in the system are the heart, veins, symptoms and effects.
arteries and capillaries which all help with the body’s process of diffusion. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy impacts the body by thickening and stiffening the
The heart (the organ that is affected with HCM) is responsible for pumping walls of the heart's ventricles. This shrinks the overall size of the ventricle and
blood around the body. This blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to cells, makes it hard for blood to be pumped around the body. This is usually passed
spreads heat around the body and collects waste from cells like carbon down by family but sometimes it is caused by a mutation or change in genes.
dioxide. The veins are used for transporting unoxygenated blood from the body People with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy usually have no significant symptoms
to the heart and the arteries distribute oxygenated blood to the body. The but some people with the disease could experience arrhythmias (irregular heart
capillaries are used in the circulatory system for directly moving the blood's patterns), a shortness of breath or chest pain.
nutrients, oxygen and waste in and out of cells.
What is the cellular process that occurs in the system?
How does the disease impact the system on a cellular level?
The process that occurs in the circulatory system is the process of the
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can impact the circulatory system on a
heart pumping blood around the body. The blood that is pumped to
cellular level by making it much harder for the heart to pump blood due
different places in the body is needed to transport different things that
to the thickening and stiffening of the ventricular wall. This will slow the
cells around the body needs such as oxygen, nutrients, heat, vitamins and
overall speed of circulation of blood around the body which will make it
carbon dioxide. All of these things are carried in the blood and blood cells.
harder for oxygen, carbon dioxide, heat and nutrients to be transported
around the body.
What future advancements are predicted? How is the disease process stopped/impacted by treatment?
Some predicted future advancements for treatments of hypertrophic Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has multiple treatments that can be
cardiomyopathy could be genetic engineering. Since hypertrophic used to lessen or even fully stop the effects of the disease. These
cardiomyopathy is a genetic mutation, an option for future treatmenttreatments include taking medication to control the heart rate (also
known as beta-blockers), surgery or using an implantable device. The
could be to genetically engineer the parts of DNA that has caused
medication used to control irregular heart rhythms or beta-blockers
this mutation or disease to prevent the person from having
most commonly come as pills and are taken once a day. The pills will
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in their life.
block the effects of adrenaline which will lower blood pressure. Beta
How does the system support the normal functioning of blockers are used to treat or prevent heart failure, heart attacks
the body? and arrhythmias. Another treatment used is an implant that can be
The circulatory system supports the normal functioning of the put in the upper chest, this is called an implantable cardioverter
defibrillator (ICD). This device will detect when there is an irregular
body by using the heart to pump blood around the body. This
heart rhythm and will send an electrical shock if needed to correct
blood carries oxygen that is needed for the body’s cells, heat
the heart rhythm. If medication does not work for people with HCM,
for the whole body, wastes from cells such as carbon dioxide many people turn to surgery for treatment. In the surgery, the
and nutrients for cells. This supports the normal functioning of surgeon will remove part of the thickened ventricle wall so the
the body because without blood, our cells would not be able to ventricle has move space. This surgery will make the heart and the
survive and if our blood could not be properly pumped around the heart muscles a normal shape again and the person will no longer have
body then white blood cells that fight disease and platelets a high risk of heart failure, heart attacks and arrhythmias.
that stop bleeding would not be able to be transported around
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rtrophic-
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c%20cardiomyopathy%20(HCM)%20is%
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%20thickened.&text=HCM%20is%20a%
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A normal heart VS A heart with HCM cardiomyopathy
atrium
