Exercise is great for your body and mind — and even with a confirmed diagnosis of ARVC or ACM, you can still enjoy regular exercise. You just need to be mindful that high-intensity, competitive or endurance exercise may not be right for you. This is because it places increased stress on your heart, can further the progression of the condition and may trigger potentially life-threatening complications. But that doesn’t mean you need to give up exercise entirely. Walking, slow jogging and team-based recreational activities can all be enjoyed.

This is variable, even within members of the same family. Some individuals develop progressive heart issues, whilst for others the ACM stays stable. In others still the changes are very minor and only detectable by a cardiologist who understands the condition well. Before diagnosis and treatment, ACM can progress silently and quickly. However, once identified and appropriate treatment initiated (including exercise restrictions), the progression can be slowed significantly. Therefore, an early diagnosis is key to minimising risk to yourself, as well as members of your whole family. 

At a day-to-day level, your treatment for ARVC or ACM will be minimally invasive. Generally, you will need to be careful about activity that is too intense, as well as remembering to take medication regularly. At times, you may need to undergo procedures to better treat your condition but not always. Ultimately, though, your life will not look very different to someone without the disease.

Like many heart conditions, life expectancy relies on effective and timely treatment of the symptoms. This helps to limit damage to your heart, as well as reduce the risk of significant cardiac events. ARVC was previously thought to be a life-threatening condition in most individuals diagnosed with the disease. Now, we know that this is not the case. Physicians have identified many individuals who are mildly affected, or sometimes not at all, even though they carry the same mutation that caused ARVC and serious heart issues in another member of the same family. Some members of a family are diagnosed with ACM in their retirement years, only after the tragic and preventable death of a much younger person in that family. Being under the care of a physician with expert knowledge of the genetics of ARVC and an in-depth understanding of the genetic mutation responsible is integral to ensuring that you and other members of your family are cared for appropriately long term. 

ACM is a genetic heart condition, meaning it is caused by a mutation to your genes. Which genes and what mutations are still being investigated, but many have already been identified. These mutations affect proteins in your body, leading to fibrofatty tissue (a mix of scar tissue and fat) replacing your heart muscle (myocardium). As a result, your heart cannot function as normal, including transmitting the required electrical signals to tell your heart to beat. This can then lead to arrhythmias and reduced cardiac function.