Cardiac amyloidosis causes the walls of your heart to grow thicker and work less effectively. The harder your heart tries to pump blood, the more it becomes weak and damaged. When you need treatment for this rare condition, you want a multidisciplinary team with expertise.
Experts from The Heart Group of Lancaster General Health work with you to develop an effective care plan that reduces symptoms and slows or stops disease progression.
What Is Cardiac Amyloidosis?
Cardiac amyloidosis (also called amyloid heart disease or amyloid cardiomyopathy) is a type of restrictive cardiomyopathy. It develops when abnormal proteins called amyloids build up in heart tissue, narrowing blood vessels. As a result, your heart has to work harder than normal.
You may experience shortness of breath (dyspnea), even with light activity. Untreated cardiac amyloidosis gets worse and can lead to worsening heart failure and serious health conditions, including heart attack.
The two main types of cardiac amyloidosis are:
- Transthyretin amyloidosis (TTR or ATTR): The most common type, TTR amyloidosis involves abnormal proteins made by the liver. Some occur due to genetic changes (hereditary), while others result from aging (wild-type).
- Light-chain amyloidosis (AL): This type involves abnormal proteins in bone marrow (spongy tissue inside bones) that normally fight infection. AL amyloidosis typically affects people aged 50 and older and grows faster (is more aggressive) than TTR.
Cardiac Amyloidosis Treatment: Why Choose Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health?
Specialists in our Heart Failure Clinic use proven techniques and a personalized approach to treat cardiac amyloidosis. You benefit from:
- Skilled expertise: Our doctors are board-certified, fellowship-trained leaders in heart failure. Many also have clinical appointments with the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. Together, our care teams deliver the latest advances and high-quality care for this rare condition.
- Coordinated approach: You receive seamless, customized care from a team of heart failure cardiologists, nurse practitioners, nurses and cardiac imaging experts specially trained in the field. When amyloidosis affects more than your heart, we partner with other specialists to ensure you get the treatment you need. Our team communicates constantly to diagnose and treat your condition, so you can concentrate on getting well.
- Advanced diagnostics: We have access to the latest diagnostic tools, including heart biopsy and genetic testing for amyloidosis. We’ve also developed a new imaging protocol for screening and diagnosis, helping to identify more people with probable cardiac TTR amyloidosis. You can count on us for the right heart imaging and tests to pinpoint the exact cause of your symptoms.
- Advanced research: As part of an academic medical center, our heart failure physicians are also researchers. Their work in heart and vascular clinical trials and research advances the field and gives our patients access to leading-edge treatments before they’re widely available.
Cardiac Amyloidosis Treatments We Offer
Treatment for cardiac amyloidosis focuses on helping you feel better and protecting you from complications. Our specialists typically start with the least invasive treatment method that’s appropriate for you.
In many cases, we recommend diuretics (medications that reduce excess fluid in your body) along with a diet that restricts salt (sodium) intake.
Medications
Certain drugs can stop or slow the production of specific abnormal proteins that cause amyloidosis. Options may include:
- Chemotherapy for cardiac AL amyloidosis
- Tafamidis and newer medications for cardiac TTR amyloidosis
Surgical Procedures
Surgeons and cardiologists may recommend surgery for people with very poor heart function or certain types of cardiac amyloidosis. These procedures include:
- Bone marrow (stem cell) transplant to replace abnormal light-chain amyloid cells with healthy ones if you have cardiac AL amyloidosis
- Heart transplant to replace a failing heart with a healthy donor heart if you have hereditary or wild-type cardiac TTR amyloidosis
Contact Us
To learn more about our heart and vascular care, call 717-544-8300.