There's word from the medical community that patients may be getting better from the respiratory issues, but dying from cardiomyopathy - heart failure.
en.wikipedia.org
Cardiomyopathy is a group of diseases that affect the
heart muscle.
[1] Early on there may be few or no symptoms.
[1] As the disease worsens,
shortness of breath, feeling
tired, and
swelling of the legs may occur, due to the onset of
heart failure.
[1] An
irregular heart beat and
fainting may occur.
[1] Those affected are at an increased risk of
sudden cardiac death.
[2]
Types of cardiomyopathy include
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,
dilated cardiomyopathy,
restrictive cardiomyopathy,
arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, and
takotsubo cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome).
[3] In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy the heart muscle enlarges and thickens.
[3] In dilated cardiomyopathy the
ventricles enlarge and weaken.
[3] In restrictive cardiomyopathy the ventricle stiffens.
[3]
In many cases, the cause cannot be determined.
[4] Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is usually
inherited, whereas dilated cardiomyopathy is inherited in about one third of cases.
[4] Dilated cardiomyopathy may also result from
alcohol,
heavy metals,
coronary artery disease,
cocaine use,
and viral infections.[4] Restrictive cardiomyopathy may be caused by
amyloidosis,
hemochromatosis, and some
cancer treatments.
[4] Broken heart syndrome is caused by extreme emotional or physical stress.
[3]
Treatment depends on the type of cardiomyopathy and the severity of symptoms.
[5] Treatments may include lifestyle changes, medications, or surgery.
[5] Surgery may include a
ventricular assist device or
heart transplant.
[5] In 2015 cardiomyopathy and
myocarditis affected 2.5 million people.
[6] Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects about 1 in 500 people while dilated cardiomyopathy affects 1 in 2,500.
[3][8] They resulted in 354,000 deaths up from 294,000 in 1990.
[7][9] Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia is more common in young people.
[2]