Natural History of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease with marked heterogeneity in morphology, clinical presentation, and natural history. Most data on the natural history of HCM is obtained from referral centers and is marked by a referral bias. Here, the rate of progression of the disease appears faster and with greater reported mortality. A population-based study was undertaken to examine the natural history of HCM among unselected residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota. Here HCM was observed to be a more benign disease than reported from tertiary referral centers. This chapter deals with the natural history of HCM.