Olivia Esposito • July 28, 2023
HCMA’s August 2023 Featured Discussion Group Leader:  Linda Montgomery

Linda hosts our “Newly Diagnosed” education groups. These free online education sessions are ideal for those newly diagnosed (within the past two years) or those new to the HCMA. Linda offers several dates ×s each month to make it convenient for all to attend.

About Linda:  I am one of seven children, which has taught me how to get along with different personalities, stand up for those who need it, and never forget where I came from.  I’ve had an amazing career in Global Pharmaceuticals over the past couple of decades.  Getting closer to the patients was always my goal, so I changed careers and entered Patient Advocacy as an employee of the HCMA.  As an HCMA employee and a Discussion Group Leader of the Newly Diagnosed, I’ve had the privilege of conducting many of your Intake Calls. I hope I’ve made you feel warmly welcomed into the HCMA community.

While I do not have HCM, I am passionate about helping people with rare diseases and transplantation.  I work as a volunteer for an Organ Donation group.

I live in NJ, and in my time away from the office, I enjoy visiting my son in Dallas, spending time with my English Bulldogs, and being outdoors.

To view our event calendar for meeting dates and times, please click the following link:  Patient Discussion Groups – Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (4hcm.org)

HCMA Blog

Medical Management May

April 30, 2025
Medical Management means using medicines and other non-invasive therapies to relieve symptoms. It's exciting that new treatments for HCM are being studied and that the FDA approved Camzyos in 2022! HCM can cause various symptoms depending on how stiff the heart is, how much scarring (fibrosis) there is, and whether there is obstruction. Some people have no noticeable symptoms. Common symptoms are chest pain/pressure, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, fatigue, palpitations, and brain fog. Syncope (fainting) is dramatic but not as common as the other symptoms. Medications are the first-line treatment for symptoms of HCM. If patients can't take one class of medication, they can try a medication from a different class. Here are some medications used to treat HCM and what they're for: Beta Blockers - make your heart beat slower and relax better. They allow the heart to fill more completely between beats. They can lower blood pressure and relieve symptoms. Calcium Channel Blockers - used to lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate. May reduce symptoms from obstruction in HCM. Myosin Inhibitors - cause the heart to beat with less force. They may reduce obstruction and septal thickness in some patients. Camzyos (mavacamten) is the first of this class of medication. For more information, click HERE . Antiarrhythmics - help to restore normal rhythm in the heart. Blood Thinners - anticoagulants and anti-platelets make it harder for blood to clot. They are prescribed to reduce the risk of stroke. This risk is higher in patients with afib, aflutter, and artificial heart valves. Diuretics , or "water pills," help the kidneys get rid of extra water and salt, reducing swelling in the body. Sodium Channel Blockers - may reduce gradient in obstructive HCM and can treat chest pain. Some also act as antiarrhythmics. Antibiotics - treat or prevent bacterial infections. In HCM, they may be given before dental work to prevent infective endocarditis. To learn more and see the side effects of these medications, click HERE .
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Decisions in HCM: Why are they so hard?

By Gordon Fox • April 25, 2025
Part 2 of a series on making decisions in HCM. A key reason is that decision making is so difficult is that most decisions involve more than one risk.
Hypertrophic Obsctructive Cardiomyopathy

Camzyos® receives manufacturing and marketing approval for HOCM in Japan

By Erica Friedman • April 22, 2025
Bristol Myers Squibb announces that Camzyos has been approved for Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Japan.
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