RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this study was to determine the causes, epidemiologic baseline data and clinical characteristics of a group of patients referred to a tertiary care center in Puerto Rico with the diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy.METHODS. The medical records of 91 new patients with the diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy were analyzed. Data was recopilated regarding initial medical history and physical examination, basic blood chemistry, electrocardiograms, chest films and other cardiac studies including echocardiogram, radionuclear ventriculography, cardiac catheterization, contrast ventriculography and coronary angiography. After reviewing the records the etiology for dilated cardiomyopathy was identified in each patient following the World Health Organization Task Forcecriteria. RESULTS. Ischemic cardiomyopathy was identified as the most common the reviewed patient population; an idiopathic etiology was found cause of dilated cardiomyopathy, representing 37 percent of in 22 percent of the patients and valvular heart disease in 14 percent. DISCUSSION. A comparison with previously described series in the medical literature regarding this subject is presented, along with the most prominent clinical characteristics of the studied population. It is felt that the findings presented will require further study of the underlying causes and clinical course of this condition in a larger patient sample and a longer follow-up period