If you are unable to work because of Cardiodmyopathy you may be able to make a TPD claim for a lump sum from the Total & Permanent Disablement insurance contained within your superannuation fund. There is no necessity for you to have been involved in an accident or to have suffered a work related injury to make a TPD claim. If you suffer from total and permanent disability, you may be able to make a TPD claim in addition to receiving your super early as a result of your condition. Our solicitors can advise you in detail as to the requirements of a successful submission, they will prepare all relevant paperwork and will obtain full supporting documentation. Our lawyers will give you free advice on the likely success of your claim to a super fund, without further obligation. It costs nothing to use our free advice service.

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Cardiomyopathy is a fairly serious disease caused by inflammation of the heart muscle that causes weakness of the muscle and heart failure if severe. Cardiomyopathy can be a primary disease or a secondary disease. In primary cardiomyopathy, there is no known cause of the disease and it is difficult to treat. In secondary cardiomyopathy, there is a known cause of the disease and treating the underlying disease can be helpful. There are three types of cardiomyopathy: dilated cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

There are many causes of cardiomyopathy, including viral diseases. Cardiomyopathy can be inherited or acquired. Sometimes the cause is unknown. Causes of dilated cardiomyopathy, in which the heart is dilated, include inherited cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, heart attack, thyroid conditions, diabetes, viruses and HIV infection. Alcohol can contribute to dilated cardiomyopathy as can complications of pregnancy. Certain toxins, including cobalt, can cause dilated cardiomyopathy, and drugs can contribute to the disease.

In cases of restrictive cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle is restricted, causes can include haemochromatosis, or too much iron in the system that is toxic to heart muscle, sarcoidosis, a disease in which lumps of cells form in the heart, restricting its movement. Amyloidosis is a similar disease in which abnormal cells build up in the heart muscle. Connective tissue disorders can restrict the heart muscle as can some types of radiation or chemotherapy treatments.

In dilated or congestive cardiomyopathy, the cavity of the heart is enlarged and stretched out of proportion to its normal shape. The heart becomes weakened and doesn’t pump normally. The outcome is heart failure. There can be abnormal heart rhythms which are dangerous in and of themselves. Blood flows more slowly in such a heart so that clots can form on the wall of the heart. They can break off and form an embolus, resulting in stroke or other blockages of the arteries. A clot that sticks to the lining of the heart is called a mural thrombus. It can be carried to the pulmonary circulation as well as to the regular circulation.

There is a condition known as Barth syndrome, which is a genetic heart disease causing dilated cardiomyopathy. It only affects male children and begins in the first year of life. Some children get it later in childhood. The skeletal muscle and heart muscle are affected, the children are short, and there is an increased chance of having bacterial infections. There is a low white blood cell count. It can be seen in newborns or in the first few months of life.

Dilated congestive cardiomyopathy can be treated using medications that make the heart stronger and medications to control the arrhythmias of the heart. The underlying cause should be treated if at all possible and, if the disease gets worse, sometimes a heart transplant is necessary.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy means that there is an enlarged muscle mass giving a big heart. The wall of the ventricles can become thickened in one form of the disease called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy or asymmetric septal cardiomyopathy. These are idiopathic forms of the disease. The mitral valve can be distorted, causing it to become leaky. The condition is more common in young adults and affects one in five hundred individuals.

Symptoms include shortness of breath, fainting, angina symptoms, dizziness and chest pain. There can be heart arrhythmias as well. Often patients need an implantable cardiac defibrillator to shock the heart so a normal rhythm returns. This is one treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Other treatments involve the taking of antiarrrhythmic medications and doing a procedure called an alcohol ablation. This injects alcohol into a coronary artery to deaden the extra heart muscle. The muscle thins out and becomes more normal in size.

In restrictive cardiomyopathy, the heart muscle becomes too rigid. It is not very common. Symptoms include fatigue, peripheral edema and shortness of breath on exertion. It is usually seen in the elderly population. The treatment depends on the underlying disease process.

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