Catheter treatment for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy: for seniors only?

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a relatively recent concept. It occurs not infrequently; 1 in 500 individuals within the general population is a carrier of the disease.1 The main genes responsible for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy have been characterized and can be determined with relative ease.2 Some patients develop subaortic obstruction. The original term, idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, dates to 1964;3 since then, it has become obvious that the obstructive component has its own prognostic meaning. The obstruction occurs in 25% of all humans with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,4 and the entity is now called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.