9 May 2024 • The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) has released a new clinical guideline for effectively managing individuals diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

The guideline includes recommendations for adding cardiac myosin inhibitors, a new class of medication for patients with symptomatic obstructive HCM who do not get adequate symptom relief from first-line drug therapy.

In addition to medication treatment, growing evidence is showing that the benefits of exercise outweigh the potential risks for patients with HCM. Low to moderate intensity recreational exercise should be part of how HCM patients manage their overall health. For some HCM patients, competitive sports may be considered in consultation with HCM clinical specialists.

Several recommendations in the new guideline extend to pediatric patients. A specific pediatric risk stratification for SCD is emphasized, with risk calculators specific to children and adolescents.

The new guideline extends exercise stress testing recommendations to include children diagnosed with HCM to help determine functional capacity.

Source: AHA | Read full story