Defining the molecular genetic basis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a significant health care problem. The etiology is idiopathic in approximately half of the patients. Recognition that 20%-25% of idiopathic DCM cases are familial has advanced the hypothesis that single gene defects are important in the disease's pathogenesis. General linkage analyses in rare, large DCM families have determined the chromosome location of five idiopathic DCM genes. Candidate-gene mutational analyses in more typical, small pedigrees represent an alternative strategy for DCM gene identification. Human molecular genetics will play a fundamental role in defining pathogenic mechanisms for DCM with the prospect of new, molecular- based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.