Restrictive Cardiomyopathy – Critical Illness Insurance

Restrictive Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart where the heart becomes very rigid and therefore the chambers of the heart do not then fill up with enough blood and so the blood is then not sent throughout the body effectively as it previously did. As the heart is then not functioning to its full capability it may cause problems for other organs in the body as they may then have to work harder to compensate. The disease of the heart may occur after someone has had a heart transplant as the heart may have been scarred in the process. Other factors which may cause restrictive cardiomyopathy is an overload of iron in the body, tumour of the heart or sarcoidosis. There are many other factors which can lead to such a disease but the common symptoms suffered by restrictive cardiomyopathy is difficulty in breathing and this may be harder at night when you are lying flat, your appetite may reduce, irregular pulse and you may not be able to do the level of exercise you were use to due to fatigue. If suffering any symptoms you are not sure about then your GP will be able to identify any problems by referring you for various tests just to make sure. If you were suffering from restrictive cardiomyopathy various tests may show you to have an enlarged liver, enlarged veins or fluid retention in both your hands and feet. The disease can affect young children as well as adults but they would be very pale in their skin and may be very slow in their growth compared to other children.

The various tests that would be carried out would be anything from a CT scan to a MRI scan but they could also do a chest x ray and an ECG. It is very important that a full investigation of the disease is carried out so that the appropriate treatment can be identified in order to give a patient the best chance of the living a normal healthy life as medication can be used to control the disease. Common treatment is to take medication which helps to thin the blood such as aspirin or warfarin. Other treatment which can be effective but is not as commonly used is chemotherapy and in severe circumstances a heart transplant may be considered.

There are a number of different types of cardiomyopathy but restrictive cardiomyopathy is the least common to be suffered. The CMA (Cardiomyopathy Association) is an association which has been set up to help support those suffering. This organisation offers help and gives advice to those suffering as the can go to a meeting held by the association to find out what treatment may be best and listen to others who may have suffered and be able to listen to others who have experienced what they might go through. It also gives people the chance to join together and help each other and even meet on a social basis in order to enjoy life and get them though a difficult time.