Excess deposition of extracellular matrix in the cardiac muscle
Cardiac fibrosis commonly refers to the excess deposition of extracellular matrix in the cardiac muscle, but the term may also refer to an abnormal thickening of the heart valves due to inappropriate proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts.[1] Fibrotic cardiac muscle is stiffer and less compliant and is seen in the progression to heart failure. The description below focuses on a specific mechanism of valvular pathology but there are other causes of valve pathology and fibrosis of the cardiac muscle.
Fibrocyte cells normally secrete collagen, and function to provide structural support for the heart. When over-activated this process causes thickening and fibrosis of the valve, with white tissue building up primarily on the tricuspid valve, but also occurring on the pulmonary valve. The thickening and loss of flexibility eventually may lead to valvular dysfunction and right-sided heart failure.
^Gourdie RG, Dimmeler S, Kohl P (September 2016). "Novel therapeutic strategies targeting fibroblasts and fibrosis in heart disease". Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery. 15 (9): 620–638. doi:10.1038/nrd.2016.89. PMC 5152911. PMID 27339799.
Cardiacfibrosis commonly refers to the excess deposition of extracellular matrix in the cardiac muscle, but the term may also refer to an abnormal thickening...
cardiac function. Recent research has shown that oxymatrine prevents cardiacfibrosis in rats. The development of fibrotic tissue in the heart occurs when...
Complications may include heart failure, an irregular heartbeat, and sudden cardiac death. HCM is most commonly inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern...
Cardiac tamponade, also known as pericardial tamponade (/ˌtæm.pəˈneɪd/), is a compression of the heart due to pericardial effusion (the build-up of pericardial...
or with a preserved ejection fraction. Heart failure is not the same as cardiac arrest, in which blood flow stops completely due to the failure of the...
Problems playing this file? See media help. Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in...
studies suggest that cardiomegaly is associated with a higher risk of sudden cardiac death. Cardiomegaly may diminish over time, but many people with an enlarged...
may cause heart failure, an irregular heartbeat, cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest. Most MIs occur due to coronary artery disease. Risk factors include...
Cardiac arrest, also known as sudden cardiac arrest, is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. As a result, blood cannot properly circulate...
Cardiac amyloidosis is a subcategory of amyloidosis where there is depositing of the protein amyloid in the cardiac muscle and surrounding tissues. Amyloid...
reduced cardiac output. Additionally, increased fibrosis of the ventricle can result in a failure to relax appropriately which impairs cardiac filling...
in cardiology. Physicians who specialize in cardiac surgery are called cardiothoracic surgeons or cardiac surgeons, a specialty of general surgery. All...
definition of cardiac syndrome X also mandated that ischemic changes on exercise (despite normal coronary arteries) were displayed, as shown on cardiac stress...
is most likely to be discovered in the elderly, as age and underlying cardiac disease progression contribute to its development. Bradycardia may be associated...
Cardiac axis in electrocardiography represents the sum of depolarization vectors generated by individual cardiac myocytes. To interpret the cardiac axis...
medication used for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It works by reducing lung fibrosis through downregulation of the production of growth factors...
four means: arrhythmias, stasis secondary to cardiac dilation, mural endocarditis, and cardiacfibrosis. These thrombi also affect other organs such as...
encouraging fibrosis and thus ventricular stiffening. Cardiac macrophages are thought to play an important role in the development of fibrosis as they are...
valves are part of the dense connective tissue of the heart known as the cardiac skeleton and are responsible for the regulation of blood flow through the...
or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the cardiac muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries of the...
Asystole is the most serious form of cardiac arrest and is usually irreversible. Also referred to as cardiac flatline, asystole is the state of total...
released directly by nerves that stimulate cardiac muscle cells, have a toxic effect and can lead to decreased cardiac muscular function or "stunning". Further...
days to weeks but can occasionally last months. Complications can include cardiac tamponade, myocarditis, and constrictive pericarditis. Pericarditis is...
the normal limit. If large enough, it can compress the heart, causing cardiac tamponade and obstructive shock. Some of the presenting symptoms are shortness...
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