Cardiac amyloidosis (patient information): Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 13:38, 3 May 2010
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Jinhui Wu, MD
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What is cardiac amyloidosis?
How do I know if I have cardiac amyloidosis and what are the symptoms of cardiac amyloidosis?
Most patients with cardiac amyloidosis may experience symptoms restrictive cardiomyopathy. While other may show no symptoms.
- Palpitations
- Shortness of breath, orthopnea
- Fatigue
- Increased nocturia
- Swelling of legs, ankles, or other part of the body
Who is at risk for cardiac amyloidosis?
Amyloidosis refers to a buildup of clumps of amyloids in body tissues and organs. These proteins called amyloids slowly replace normal tissue and resuly in organ function failure. Amyloidosis often occurs on patients with the following characteristics:
- Multiple myeloma: Cardiac amyloidosis usually occurs in patients with multiple myeloma.
- Male gender: Cardiac amyloidosis is more common in men than in women.
- Age over 40: The disease is rare in people under age 40.
How to know you have cardiac amyloidosis?
- ECG: This is a basic test for cardiovascular diseases that records the heart's electrical activity. During this test, you are asked to lie down. The health care provider will clean several areas on your arms, legs, and chest, and attach electrodes to these areas. Then, the electrical activities of your heart will be recorded. ECG may help your doctor identify the type of your arrhythmia, such as st-segment depression, ventricualr premature, tachycardia or heart block.
- Echocardiogram: This is also a painless and no risk test for patients. Cardiac echo can demonstrate both structure and function of the heart. Patients with cardiac amyloidosis may appear signs of ventricular wall hypertrophy and stiffness, several cardiac echogenic focus, and decreased ejection fraction.
- Chest x-ray: On chest x-ray, patients with cardiac amyloidsis may demonstrate images of enlarged heart and pulmonary congestion.
- Thoracoabdominal CT scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Nuclear heart scans
- Coronary angiography
- Cardiac biopsy
When to seek urgent medical care?
Call your health care provider if symptoms of cardiac amyloidosis develop. If you experience either of the following symptoms, seeking urgent medical care as soon as possible:
- Palpitations
- Severen shortness of breath
- Orthopnea
Treatment options
- Diet: A diet of salt and fluid restrictions is recommended to patients with cardiac amyloidosis.
Diseases with similar symptoms
Where to find medical care for cardiac amyloidosis?
Directions to Hospitals Treating cardiac amyloidosis
Prevention of cardiac amyloidosis
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Copyleft Sources
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000193.htm
http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/000193.htm
http://healthguide.howstuffworks.com/cardiac-amyloidosis-dictionary.htm