Restrictive cardiomyopathy tends to mostly affect older adults. With this disease, the ventricles become stiff and rigid. This happens because abnormal tissue, such as scar tissue, replaces the normal heart muscle.
As a result, the ventricles can't relax normally and fill with blood, and the atria become enlarged. Over time, blood flow in the heart is reduced. This can lead to problems such as heart failure or arrhythmias.
- Idiopathic restrictive cardiomyopathy
- Infiltrative cardiomyopathy
What Causes Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
Certain diseases, conditions and factors can cause restrictive cardiomyopathy, including:
- Hemochromatosis. This is a disease in which too much iron builds up in your body. The extra iron is toxic to the body and can damage the organs, including the heart.
- Sarcoidosis. This disease causes inflammation and can affect various organs in the body. Researchers believe that an abnormal immune response may cause sarcoidosis. This abnormal response causes tiny lumps of cells to form in the body's organs, including the heart.
- Amyloidosis. This is a disease in which abnormal proteins build up in the body's organs, including the heart.
- Connective tissue disorders
- Some cancer treatments, such as radiation and chemotherapy
- What is Cardiomyopathy in Adults?
- Understand Your Risk for Cardiomyopathy
- Symptoms and Diagnosis of Cardiomyopathy
- Prevention and Treatment of Cardiomyopathy
- Cardiomyopathy in Children
Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
