A hereditary heart disease, which can remain hidden for years, has raised alarms in the health sector due to its potential impact on young people and athletes. It is associated with the risk of sudden death if not detected in time. This is obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a genetic condition that causes the thickening of the heart muscle. Recently, a new treatment alternative has been added in Mexico following its approval by the Federal Commission for the Protection against Health Risks (Cofepris). Shandher Tovar Roca, medical director of BMS Mexico, indicated that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects 1 in 500 people in the general population; of these, about 70% develop it in its obstructive form.
Impact on athletes and active individuals The risk increases in people who play sports or engage in intense exercise, as symptoms often manifest during or after physical exertion. According to specialists, this condition can also lead to serious complications such as arrhythmias, heart failure, or fatal events, which has placed obstructive HCM as one of the main causes of sudden death in apparently healthy young people.
New treatment, but with a diagnostic challenge Although the disease is incurable, the recent approval of an oral treatment in Mexico represents a change in clinical management, acting directly on the mechanisms that cause the disease and improving patients' exercise capacity and quality of life. According to Dr. Adolfo Chávez Mendoza, president of the Mexican Heart Failure Association (AMIC), the treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has been based on drugs such as beta-blockers and antiarrhythmics that do not address the root cause of the problem and often do not provide sufficient symptomatic relief. He explained that with the recent approval in Mexico of this oral medication from Bristol Myers Squibb, a new therapeutic alternative is now available for adults with symptomatic obstructive HCM.
“The clinical evidence for this therapy supports, among other benefits, its effect on key mechanisms of the disease, with improvements in relevant aspects. Among them, the structure of the heart muscle, the obstruction of blood flow, symptoms, exercise capacity, and quality of life,” he emphasized.
However, specialists agree that the main challenge remains early detection, as in many cases people are unaware they have the condition, even when there is a family history. In this scenario, medical authorities recommend undergoing cardiological evaluations, especially for those who engage in high-performance sports or who present symptoms such as palpitations, fainting, or difficulty breathing.
