Cardiac amyloidosis, a previously little-known form of heart failure, has long challenged medical experts and patients. Traditionally seen as a terminal diagnosis, recent advancements in medication have significantly improved management options. Many heart failure cases stemming from amyloid proteins infiltrating the heart have gone unrecognized. Prominent figures like Dr. Michelle Kittleson advocate for more awareness and accurate diagnosis, stressing the importance of not attributing symptoms solely to aging. The recent approval of medications by the FDA represents a critical turning point in the care and prognosis for patients like James Hicks.
Until recently, cardiac amyloidosis was a death sentence, but the advent of new medications, including two approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the past year, have made this disease increasingly manageable.
James Hicks, a former railroad worker diagnosed with heart failure, faced significant challenges until a cardiologist suggested the possibility of cardiac amyloidosis, leading to more effective treatment.
Doctors are now discovering that about 15% of heart failure cases are caused by a rogue protein called amyloid, which infiltrates the heart, making it stiff and less able to pump blood.
We shouldn't just be fatalistic - 'you're tired, you're short of breath, you're just old,' said Dr. Michelle Kittleson, pointing towards the need for more nuanced diagnoses and treatments.
Collection
[
|
...
]