- Coronary artery disease: post-MI or hibernating myocardium for active ischemia
- Hypertension related: chronic sub-optimally treated or hypertensive emergency
- Valvular heart disease: aortic stenosis, aortic insufficiency, mitral regurg, mitral stenosis
- Infection: viral myocarditis, HIV, acute bacterial infection, chaga's disease, lyme
- Autoimmune: lupus-related, giant cell myocarditis
- Stress: Takotsubos
- Meds or toxins: anthracylcine or cyclophsophamide based chemotherapy; cocaine, crystal meth, alcohol
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, including sub-aortic stenosis
- Restrictive or infiltrative cardiomyopathy: sarcoid, amyloidosis, hemochromatosis
- Rhythm related: chronic tachycardia (e.g. poor rate control w/a fib); bradycardia
- Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy
- Leg swelling
- Sudden death
- Chest pain/pressure
- Lightheadedness, presyncope or syncope
- Rales on lung exam
- May have lower extremity edema and/or cool/mottled distal extremities w/delayed capillary refill (depending on whether concomitant volume overload, chronicity, ability to compensate)