Cardiac Amyloidosis

Cardiac amyloidosis signs or symptoms

Cardiac amyloidosis symptoms often mimic heart failure. These symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Fatigue
• Swelling in the legs
• Fluttering or pounding heart
• Low blood pressure

Cardiac amyloidosis can interfere with your heart’s ability to pump blood to the rest of your body. It can also prevent other organs from working properly.

If you have symptoms of cardiac amyloidosis, talk to your primary care physician or cardiologist. 

After discussing your concerns and symptoms with you, they’ll do a physical exam. They could recommend additional tests to find out if you have cardiac amyloidosis.

Types of amyloidosis

Amyloidosis might only affect your heart. However, it may disrupt your kidneys, liver, spleen, the digestive tract, brain and nervous system. 

That’s why our cardiac amyloidosis team has expertise in neurology, orthopaedics, cancer and other areas. 

Multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer related to cardiac amyloidosis. The treatments for myeloma may help successfully treat cardiac amyloidosis, also known as “stiff heart syndrome.”

Cardiac amyloidosis diagnosis at UCI health

Cardiac amyloidosis can affect multiple organs. Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent further organ damage and help you feel better. 

If you have symptoms of cardiac amyloidosis, our specialists offer comprehensive diagnostic tests which includes assessing: 

• Your heart
• Your kidneys
• Your blood
• Your gastrointestinal system
• Your nervous system

If your clinician diagnoses you with cardiac amyloidosis, they will discuss your treatment options with you. 

Why choose UCI Health for cardiac amyloidosis?

Our clinical trials examine medicines that specifically deplete amyloid deposits.

We are actively researching a monoclonal antibody that targets and shrinks the amyloid deposits in the heart. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is examining the safety and efficacy of this amyloid-dissolving medicine in cardiac amyloidosis patients. 

Our goal with this research is to improve your cardiac function and quality of life.

UCI Health has established Orange County's first multidisciplinary team to evaluate and treat amyloidosis.

Your team might include cardiologists, nephrologists, neurologists, hematologists/oncologists and gastrointestinal specialists. Together, we offer you a personalized approach to this little-understood disorder.

Come to us for an accurate diagnosis.

Because amyloidosis is often mistaken for heart failure, a precise diagnosis is vital for treatments to work. If you're dealing with this condition, getting an early diagnosis and starting treatment right away can help protect your organs from further damage.

We have special expertise in echocardiography and nuclear medicine. Echocardiography helps us see abnormal chamber sizes that amyloid deposits create. Nuclear medicine reveals where amyloid deposits are in your heart.

UCI Health is Orange County’s only academic health system.

As a hospital, we’re deeply integrated with our medical school. That gives us – and you – access to clinical trials and leading-edge research. As a result, you may have access to new tools and medications that aren’t widely available anywhere else.