WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS TO THE HEART IN NEUROMUSCULAR DISORDERS? ARE THE PROBLEMS THE SAME AS HEART PROBLEMS IN GENERAL?
A Most of the “heart disease” we hear about in the newspaper or on television is a type of heart problem known as coronary artery disease, a “plugging” of the blood vessels that supply the heart. This is the kind of problem that appears to result from a diet rich in fat and calories, being overweight, being sedentary and smoking (although it’s possible to have coronary artery disease in the absence of these risk factors). It’s the type of heart disease most often associated with “heart attack,” a total blocking of one or more of these vessels. People with neuromuscular disorders are in no way immune to coronary artery disease or, unfortunately, to any other common ailment of modern life. However, coronary artery disease isn’t the problem most often associated with neuromuscular disorders. Two types of heart problems are closely associated with various neuromuscular disorders. They are cardiomyopathy, a problem with the muscle layer of the heart, and cardiac arrhythmias, abnormalities i
