Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal; Cintesis - Center for Research in Health Technologies and Services, Portugal; Department of Cardiology, Santa Maria Maior Hospital, Portugal. Electronic address: [Email]
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the heart muscle characterized by ventricular dilatation and impaired systolic function. Familial forms account for 30-50% of cases. Autosomal dominant inheritance is the predominant pattern of transmission. Causal genetic variants have been identified in several genes and molecular diagnosis has implications for genetic counseling and risk stratification.