Vanderbilt Medical Center - Vanderbilt Heart in Nashville, TN

Diastolic Dysfunction


What is diastolic dysfunction?
Every time the heart beats, it contracts and relaxes.When the heart is relaxed it is filling with blood that is being returned to it from the body or the lungs. This is called diastole. When this relaxation part of the heart beat is abnormal it is called diastolic dysfunction.   

What causes diastolic dysfunction?
Diastolic dysfunction can be a result of many things such as high blood pressure, scarred heart muscle (i.e. after a heart attack), and diabetes. Disatolic dysfunction can lead to increased pressure and fluid in the blood vessels of the lungs and in the blood vessels that come back to the heart. 

What kind of treatment is available for diastolic dysfunction?
This is a chronic condition, and sometimes it is most beneficial to refrain from any major treatment, especially when the patient tolerates it well. Instead of treating the diastolic dysfunction itself, doctors often seek to focus on the cause of the condition and treat that if possible. If the cause is treated and/or well maintained, it will indirectly help the diastolic dysfunction. When doctors do feel that treatment of the distolic dysfunction itself is necessary, drugs including calcium channel blockers are used.

 

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