Cardiomyopathies: classification, diagnosis, and treatment.

This article comments on the recent classifications of cardiomyopathies by the American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology with respect to their clinical applicability. Taking them and the statement on the role of endomyocardial biopsies in different clinical scenarios together, the clinician is now able to identify genetic, autoimmune, and viral causative factors by using a thorough and logical approach to reach a diagnosis in patients with familial and nonfamilial forms of the underlying structural heart muscle diseases. In this overview, a special emphasis is also placed on the management of inflammatory and viral cardiomyopathies. 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.