Why is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy dangerous?

Risk of death: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of death among young athletes. Further, individuals with this condition are at risk for sudden death even if they do not participate in sports.

3 Reasons: 1) unfavorable geometry - the heart is shaped the way it is to get a job done. Distortion of that geometry creates less effective action and blood flow 2) risk of sudden death - hcm screws up the electrical arrangement of the heart and increases risk of sudden death 3) obstruction - the very mass of the heart itself gets in the way of blood flow and causes chest pain and passing out.

Hypertrophic: since it can lead to sudden death due to arrhythmias