Contemporary Treatment Improves Outcomes of Recent-Onset Cardiomyopathy

Studies of recent-onset dilated cardiomyopathy suggest varied outcomes, but the prognosis with contemporary evidence-based therapies, including beta-blockers, is not known. In this multicenter prospective cohort study, researchers evaluated outcomes among 373 patients (mean age, 45; 21% black; 38% women) with recent-onset, nonischemic, dilated cardiomyopathy (mean symptom duration, 2.2 months) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction of at least moderate severity (mean left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF], 0.24). The study population included women with peripartum cardiomyopathy (10% overall), but it did not include patients with coronary artery disease, valvular disease, or other possible causes of cardiomyopathy (e.g., diabetes, unc…