What Is Restrictive Cardiomyopathy?
A restrictive cardiomyopathy, the rarest form of cardiomyopathy, is a condition in which the walls of the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) are abnormally rigid and lack the flexibility to expand as the ventricles fill with blood.
What Are the Symptoms of Restrictive Cardiomyopathy?
Many people with restrictive cardiomyopathy have no symptoms or only minor symptoms, and live a normal life. Other people develop symptoms, which progress and worsen as heart function worsens.
Symptoms can occur at any age and may include:
* Chest pain or pressure (occurs usually with exercise or physical activity, but can also occur with rest or after meals).
* Heart failure symptoms (shortness of breath and fatigue).
* Swelling of the lower extremities.
* Fatigue (feeling overly tired).
* Weight gain
* Fainting (caused by irregular heart rhythms, abnormal responses of the blood vessels during exercise, or no cause may be found).
* Palpitations (fluttering in the chest due to abnormal heart rhythms).
What Causes Restrictive Cardiomyopathy?
A restrictive cardiomyopathy is not usually inherited and its cause is often unknown. Known causes may include:
- Build-up of fat and proteins (amyloidosis) in the heart muscle.
- Excess of iron (hemochromatosis) in the heart.
- Chest exposure to radiation.
- Connective tissue diseases or various other illnesses.
- Build up of scar tissue after a heart attack.
How is Restrictive Cardiomyopathy Diagnosed?
Restrictive cardiomyopathy is diagnosed based on medical history (your symptoms and family history), physical exam, and tests: such as blood tests, electrocardiogram , chest X-ray , echocardiogram , exercise stress test , cardiac catheterization , CT scan , MRI and radionuclide studies ( Multigated Acquisition Scan ).
Another test often done to determine the cause of a cardiomyopathy is a myocardial biopsy where a tissue sample is taken from the heart to examine the cause of the symptoms.
How is Restrictive Cardiomyopathy Treated?
Treatment of this condition is difficult. Treatment is usually focused on treating the cause of this condition. Doctors recommend lifestyle changes and medications to treat heart failure .
What Lifestyle Changes Are Recommended?
Diet. Once you have symptoms such as shortness of breath or fatigue, you should restrict your intake of salt (sodium) to 2,000 to 3,000 mg per day. Follow this diet even when your symptoms abate.
Exercise. Your doctor will tell you if you may exercise or not. While exercise is generally good for the heart, people with this cardiomyopathy may experience fatigue and shortness of breath, even with minimal exertion. Therefore, experts recommend that you take frequent breaks, exercise at a time of day where you have the most energy and start slow, gradually building up strength and endurance. Heavy weight lifting is not recommended.
