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Cardiac amyloidosis is a heart condition where misshapen proteins get stuck in and around different parts of your heart. As these proteins build up, your heart struggles to pump blood so it tries to pump harder.
Cardiac amyloidosis is the term used when amyloid protein deposits are found in the heart. The two kinds of amyloidosis most likely to damage the heart are light chain amyloidosis (AL) and transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). Treatment depends on the specific subtype of amyloidosis.
Amyloidosis (am-uh-loi-DO-sis) is a rare disease that occurs when a protein called amyloid builds up in organs. This amyloid buildup can make the organs not work properly. Organs that may be affected include the heart, kidneys, liver, spleen, nervous system and digestive tract. Some types of amyloidosis occur with other diseases.
Cardiac amyloidosis ("stiff heart syndrome") occurs when amyloid deposits take the place of normal heart muscle. It is the most typical type of restrictive cardiomyopathy. Cardiac amyloidosis may affect the way electrical signals move through the heart (conduction system).
They can deposit in the kidney, the intestinal tract, the carpal tunnel ligaments, and the heart and other structures. So why does that happen? Well, there are three main kinds of amyloid that actually can affect the heart, and there are over 20 proteins that can form amyloid, but only really three that affect the heart.
When amyloid fibrils accumulate in the heart, they cause a disease known as cardiac amyloidosis. This causes the heart muscle to thicken and become stiff, which diminishes its ability to pump blood effectively and efficiently through the body, leading to cardiac complications.
Cardiac amyloidosis is a type of infiltrative cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease caused by substance accumulation. In the case of cardiac amyloidosis, specific proteins accumulate in the heart muscle. These proteins are abnormally folded and deposit in the heart, leading to scarring.