Restrictive cardiomyopathy is a problem in which the heart muscle becomes stiff and cannot fully expand to let enough blood enter its chambers. Blood that would normally enter the heart backs up in the circulatory system instead of getting pumped out to the body.
In most cases, restrictive cardiomyopathy leads to heart failure. Heart failure means that your heart can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs.
A number of diseases can lead to restrictive cardiomyopathy. Sometimes the cause is not known. Symptoms of restrictive cardiomyopathy happen if a person gets heart failure. Heart failure symptoms include shortness of breath, feeling weak and tired, and swollen legs and feet.
The goal of treatment is to slow the disease and help you feel better. You may also have treatment for the cause of the cardiomyopathy. Treatment may include medicine and lifestyle changes.
You may not have any symptoms at first. Or you may have symptoms, such as feeling very tired or weak.
If your heart gets weaker, you may develop heart failure. When this happens, you may have other symptoms. These include:
Most of the time, treatment focuses on relieving symptoms, improving heart function, and helping you live longer. You may also have other treatment for the problem that is causing restrictive cardiomyopathy. For example, you may take medicines to get rid of too much iron in the heart muscle (hemochromatosis).
If you have heart failure, you will probably take several medicines to slow the disease and help you feel better.
Your doctor may suggest an implanted device such as an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). An ICD can prevent life-threatening irregular heart rhythms.
If your condition is very bad, a heart transplant may be an option.
Your doctor will ask questions about your symptoms and past health. He or she will want to know about recent illnesses and about heart disease in your family. Your doctor will listen to your heart and lungs and will check your legs for fluid buildup.
You may also have other tests. These include:
In some cases, a doctor may want to look at a small sample of heart tissue, called a biopsy, to make a definite diagnosis.
Self-care is an important part of your treatment. Self-care includes the things you can do every day to feel better, stay healthy, and avoid the hospital.
This gives you the best chance of being helped by them.
A heart-healthy lifestyle includes eating heart-healthy foods, staying at a healthy weight, and not smoking. If you think you may have a problem with alcohol or drug use, talk to your doctor. Get vaccinated against COVID-19, the flu, and pneumonia.
Ask your doctor about how you can exercise safely. People who have restrictive cardiomyopathy need to avoid doing too much, because their hearts can't increase blood flow during exercise.
Most of the time, restrictive cardiomyopathy leads to heart failure. Heart failure usually gets worse over time. But treatment can slow the disease and help you feel better and live longer. If your doctor finds the cause of your restrictive cardiomyopathy, then that cause will also be treated, if possible.
Some people develop other problems, including:
If your disease is getting worse, you may want to think about making end-of-life decisions. It can be comforting to know that you will get the type of care you want.
Restrictive cardiomyopathy is a serious problem that makes your heart muscle stiff. When your heart muscle is stiff, it can't stretch to allow enough blood to enter its lower chambers, the ventricles. So blood that would normally enter the heart backs up in your circulatory system.
Most of the time, this leads to heart failure. Heart failure doesn't mean that your heart stops pumping. It means that your heart can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs.
The cause of restrictive cardiomyopathy is sometimes never found. But there are a number of diseases or problems that can lead to it. These include:
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