Meet your guide, Ella.

Heart animation courtesy of Jon Huhn. www.JonHuhn.com

3DHeartCrosssection-1.png

  • What is ACM?

  • What is Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy, or ACM?

    ACM is an inherited disease that affects the protein glue that holds the heart cells together. It changes the heart’s rhythm and makes it harder to pump blood properly throughout the body.

  • Let's break it down.

    What does “Arrhythmogenic“ mean?

    It might be easier to cut it up and look at its Greek roots first.

    A / Rhythmo / Genic

  • A/Rhythmo/Genic

    A: Out of / Loss of

    Rhythmo: Rhythm

    Genic: Causing/Creating

    So, if something is “Arrhythmogenic”, it causes a loss of normal rhythm.

  • What about "Cardiomyopathy?"

    Cardio / Myo / Pathy

    Cardio: Heart

    Myo: Muscle

    Pathy: Disease

    So, “Cardiomyopathy“ is a disease of the heart muscle.

  • Can it affect more than one part of the heart?

    Yes. There are multiple versions of ACM that may affect more than one ventricle, or bottom chamber of the heart. Below, you can explore more about how the heart works and how ACM changes it over time.

Introducing…. your amazing heart!

Heart 101

The Electrical System of Your Heart

Let’s break down some of the types of ACM:

ARVC/D

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy/Dysplasia

is ACM that mainly affects the right ventricle.

ALVC/D

Arrhythmogenic Left Ventricular Cardiomyopathy/Dysplasia

is ACM that mainly affects the left ventricle.

BAC/D

Biventricular Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy/Dysplasia

is ACM that affects both the lower chambers of the heart.

The diagrams show yellow in the areas where the genetic changes of ACM cause fat and scar tissue to replace healthy heart muscle.

The fat and scar tissue disrupt the normal electrical pathways and cause irregular heartbeats in the lower chambers of the heart.

ACM (ARVC/D, ARLC/D, BAC) heart images: Patel, Viraj et al. 2020, State of the Art Review on Genetics and Precision Medicine in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy, digital image, MDPI, Figure 21, Accessed December 1, 2022, <https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/18/6615/htm>

Causes

Causes
Symptoms

Symptoms
Treatments

Treatments
Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle Changes

Patient Advocacy

How can I advocate for myself as a patient?

How can I help my loved one who is living with ACM?

Where do I start?