Heart Condition Saturday: Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
May 20, 2006 by Lei
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
This past week, I posted about little Karl Bielser, who’s waiting for a new heart and I thought I’d provide more information on his condition – restrictive cardiomyopathy.
What is restrictive cardiomyopathy?
Restrictive cardiomyopathy refers to a group of disorders in which the heart chambers are unable to fill with blood properly because of stiffness of the heart. In restrictive cardiomyopathy, the heart is normal in size or only slightly enlarged, but it cannot relax normally during diastole (that is, the time between heartbeats in which the blood returns from the body to the heart).
Later in the disease, the heart may not pump blood efficiently. The abnormal heart function can affect the lungs, liver, and other body systems. Restrictive cardiomyopathy may affect either or both ventricles and may or may not be associated with a disease of the heart muscle.
What are the symptoms?
- Excessive tiredness (fatigue)
- Swelling of the feet and ankles
- Cough – difficulty breathing especially with exertion, at night, when lying flat,
- Easily fatigued (poor tolerance of exercise)
- Swelling of the abdomen
How long can people expect to live with the condition?
People with restrictive cardiomyopathy may be candidates for heart transplant. Prognosis is dependent on the underlying cause but it is usually poor. Average (mean) survival after diagnosis is 9 years.
For more information, see the MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.
Technorati Tags: restrictive cardiomyopathy, myopathy, heart disease, heart transplant, heart, disease, health, cardiovascular disease, cardio
