ABSTRACT
The current definition of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is relatively
simple; namely, a heart muscle disease characterized by left ventricular
(LV) or biventricular dilation and systolic dysfunction in the absence
of either pressure or volume overload or coronary artery disease
sufficient to explain the dysfunction.1 In the last decades, the prognosis of patients with DCM has improved
significantly with survival free from death and heart transplantation
rising to more than 80% at 8-year follow-up.2 This improvement in outcomes reflects the implementation of
pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic strategies, earlier
diagnosis due to familial and sport-related screening, and
individualized long-term follow-up with continuous restratification of
risk.