How Common Is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy?

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) can cause exertional symptoms, such as chest pain or shortness of breath, heart failure, or even sudden cardiac death, but how common is it? In this epidemiologic study of HCM in Olmsted County, Minnesota (a Mayo Clinic location), researchers used a validated medical-record linkage system to evaluate the incidence and prevalence of HCM over time (1984–2015).

During the study period, 270 people received diagnoses of HCM, with a point prevalence of 89 per 100,000 population at the beginning of 2016. The most common symptom was dyspnea, and ≈61% of patients had evidence of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The incidence of HCM increased with each decade and was higher than the incidence in a previous …