Disease of the heart muscle is called what?

• A. Cardiomyopathy
• B. Cardiology
• C. Cardiac
• D. Carpals

Answer: (A)

The term for a disease that involves the heart muscle itself is cardiomyopathy. The word cardiomyopathy directly describes a problem with the heart muscle (cardio = heart, myo = muscle, pathy = disease), indicating that the muscle of the heart is abnormal and affects how the heart pumps. In contrast, cardiology refers to the medical specialty that studies and treats heart diseases, not a specific condition. Cardiac is an adjective meaning related to the heart, used in phrases like cardiac output, but it’s not a disease name. Carpals are the wrist bones, which are unrelated to heart disease. So cardiomyopathy is the correct term because it names the disease of the heart muscle itself.