DANVILLE, Pa. — Cardiac amyloidosis is a heart condition caused by protein buildup between the muscle cells of the heart.
"Once it gets into the heart, it thickens the heart. It's not the muscle that gets thick; it's around the cells that get deposited, and the heart gets thicker and thicker. Then signs and symptoms of heart failure start to develop," said Dr. Brendan Carry, a cardiologist at Geisinger.
As the heart gets thicker, it gets weaker, which leads to worsening heart failure and death. Dr. Carry says amyloidosis can be genetic, but more commonly, patients develop it with age.
"We don't know exactly what causes it. All we know is that it's directly correlated to the age of the individual. So, in essence, it's a disease of aging," Dr. Carry said.
Recently, Geisinger enrolled the first patient in the United States into a cardiac amyloidosis trial. The team is also the first in the country to screen for the trial.
"That actually showed some evidence that there's some regression from the heart, so that's what we're trying to accomplish. We're trying to decrease the amount of amyloid protein in the body and improve outcomes," Dr. Carry said.
Signs of cardiac amyloidosis include common heart failure symptoms such as shortness of breath and swelling in extremities.
"Sometimes kidney failure can occur. But usually it's the carpal tunnel syndrome, spinal stenosis, so lower and upper back issues, bicep tendon ruptures, or ruptures of tendons to any muscle attachment in the body," Dr. Carry said.