Scripps Clinic Named First Center of Excellence in San Diego County for Treating Prevalent Heart Disease

Scripps Clinic has been designated a Center of Excellence by the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, becoming the first location in San Diego County to be recognized for outstanding treatment of this common genetic disease, which involves an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle.

“Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, also known as HCM, can be a challenging disease, requiring care from a wide range of clinical specialists covering general cardiology, cardiac imaging, electrophysiology, heart failure and genetics,” said Jorge A. Gonzalez, MD, director of advanced cardiovascular imaging and co-director of the Scripps Clinic Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. “Our program brings together experts in all of these fields who apply the latest diagnostics and treatments to patients who require long-term, follow-up care for this progressive condition.”

HCM, which often goes undetected for decades, is the second most common form of heart muscle disease, affecting up to 1 million people in the United States and 1 in 300 in the general population. HCM often is inherited within families, and several gene mutations have been linked to the disease.

In HCM, the walls of the main pumping chamber of the heart (the left ventricle) become enlarged, restricting blood flow and sometimes causing leakage from the mitral valve and interruption of the heart’s electrical system. Symptoms can vary widely from chest pains, dizziness and irregular heart rhythms to more serious life-threatening conditions such as heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest.

The disease can affect children and adults of any age. In fact, HCM is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young competitive athletes, accounting for 36 percent of all cases, according to a study published by the journal Circulation in 2009. 

Diagnosis can involve an echocardiogram (ultrasound imaging), an electrocardiogram (EKG) and blood tests. Treatments include beta-blocking drugs or other medications that slow the heartbeat, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and surgery to remove heart muscle tissue blocking blood flow.