Abstract:
Cardiomyopathies, defined as diseases of the myo-
cardium associated with cardiac dysfunction, are
classified into dilated, hypertrophic, restrictive and
arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy,
as well as unclassified. 1 More recently, molecular
classification has been suggested. 2 Cardiomyopathies
continue to be a significant cause of morbidity and
mortality in the developed world. w1 In developing
countries, however, there appears to be an increased
incidence of the ‘‘usual’’ forms of cardiomyopathy,
with a modified clinical course possibly due to
genetic differences or environmental factors such as
malnutrition, infections and pollution. w2 In addition,
there are specific cardiomyopathies endemic to the
tropics such as Chagas and endomyocardial fibrosis,
which cause a considerable amount of death and
suffering and have been classified as neglected
diseases. We here describe what is known about
these two diseases, their aetiologies, pathogenesis
and management and outline directions for further
research. The present article will discuss Chagas
disease, and a subsequent article will address
endomyocardial fibrosis.
