Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
Alternate Names : Restrictive Myocardiopathy
Restrictive cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the walls of the heart become thick and rigid. The heart is then not able to fill with a normal amount of blood.
What is going on in the body?
In a person with restrictive cardiomyopathy, the muscle in
the walls of the heart becomes thickened and less elastic. The heart then
cannot fill with blood properly. Blood can, in effect, "back up" into the lungs and the rest of the body. This can lead to failure of the heart, or congestive heart failure.
What are the causes and risks of the disease?
When the cause of the heart muscle thickening
is unknown, this condition is called primary restrictive cardiomyopathy.
However, other diseases can cause this condition. These cases are called
secondary restrictive cardiomyopathy. Examples of causes include:
amyloidosis, a condition
caused by abnormal protein deposits that can affect the heart and many other areas of the body
sarcoidosis, a condition that
causes inflammation in many areas of the body for unknown reasons
inherited conditions
hemochromatosis, a condition
caused by too much iron in the body. The extra iron can get deposited into the heart and other organs.
Loffler's syndrome, a condition caused by an abnormally high number of
certain blood cells. These cells can cause damage to the heart and other
organs.
endomyocardial fibrosis, a disease of unknown cause that results in
scarring of the heart
In some cases, the cause cannot be found.
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