Diastolic dysfunction occurs when the heart doesn’t relax properly after contracting, leading to congestive heart failure. Causes include aging, obesity, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty breathing, and rapid heart rate. Lifestyle changes and medication can help manage the condition. Early diagnosis is important for preventing irreversible damage.
Each heartbeat is made up of two parts: contraction and relaxation. The contraction portion of the heartbeat is known as systole and the relaxation portion is known as diastole. Diastolic dysfunction occurs when there is a problem with the heart’s diastole, meaning that the heart doesn’t relax properly after it contracts. This condition can lead to congestive heart failure and is in fact present in approximately 50% of patients diagnosed with the condition.
The human heart is divided into four chambers. The upper two are called the right and left atria, while the remaining two lower ones are called the right and left ventricles. In a healthy heart, electrical impulses cause the atria to contract and send blood to the ventricles. The electrical impulses should then reach the ventricles, causing them to contract and push blood into the lungs and body. When diastolic dysfunction is present, the ventricles do not relax as they should. This makes it more difficult for the atria to pass as much blood into the ventricles as is ideal. This can, in turn, cause excessive pressure to build up in the heart and pulmonary and cardiac vessels, which can lead to congestive heart failure, systemic congestion, or pulmonary congestion.
Common causes of diastolic dysfunction generally include ischemic heart disease, aging, obesity, and hypertension. A person’s risk of developing this condition increases with age, with older women having the greatest risk. The risk can be reduced by implementing lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising, eating a healthy diet, and limiting alcohol consumption. Furthermore, it is also important for a person to manage their high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and coronary heart disease to reduce their overall susceptibility.
Symptoms of this problem typically include fatigue, difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, jugular vein distention, enlarged liver, and edema. However, a person may have diastolic dysfunction for several years before symptoms appear. This presents a problem because it is generally very important for a patient to receive early diagnosis and adequate treatment to prevent irreversible damage to the heart structure and systolic dysfunction. With proper care, patients suffering from diastolic dysfunction have a more favorable prognosis than those who have a systolic problem.
The preferred method for diagnosing diastolic dysfunction is cardiac catheterization, but the less invasive method of two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography can also be used. Doctors may use radionuclide angiography as a diagnostic tool in rare cases when echocardiography cannot be done. If diastolic dysfunction is detected, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, or calcium channel blockers may be prescribed to improve myocardial relaxation. Beta-blockers and diuretics may also be prescribed to address other symptoms, such as tachycardia, hypertension, respiratory distress, and myocardial ischemia.
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