Right Ventricular Dysplasia : A Rare But Critical Disease

Arrhythmogenic right venticular dyplasia is a very rare type of a cardiac disease. It is characterized with the heart’s right ventricle being populated with fat and fibrous tissues, which dissolve its muscles. As a result, the heart fails to contract normally and instead becomes very dilated. It cannot pump blood with the normal amount of force and so cardiac arrest and even death becomes a possibility in patients.

The people who suffer from right ventricular dysplasia are usually under 40 years of age. But the disease may possibly advance until the later years of their life if not treated properly. This is the disease diagnosed more commonly among athletes.

The Symptoms of Right Ventricular Dysplasia
Patients suffering from right ventricular dysplasia will experience irregular heartbeats and rhythms. This condition is sometimes termed as ventricular tachycardia. Its incidence roots from the lower chambers of the heart, or more particularly, the right ventricle.

Palpitations will also become very common in them. Palpitation is the abnormal occurrence wherein the heart beats very soundly that the patient becomes aware of its functions. Palpitations also connote that the heart is beating irregularly, that it may do an extra beat or miss a beat altogether.

And aside from these, patients will also tend to feel dizzy and lightheaded. And mainly due to their irregular heart rhythms, they would faint for no apparent reason at all. In the most extreme case of this disease, sudden cardiac arrest leading to death is a possibility.

The Causes of Right Ventricular Dysplasia
The root cause of this disease is yet to be discovered by medical experts and researchers. Its rarity is estimated to be one in five thousand people born. This disease is observed to run in the family, although it still cannot be directly linked to any chromosome or family history. Right now, there are two hypotheses as to the cause of this disease – and that’s the congenital abnormality proposition and the genetic theory.

Diagnosing Right Ventricular Dysplasia
The doctor will accurately diagnose this disease if a medical history and a series of tests are requested and are conducted on the patient. The patient’s medical history will guide the doctor as to what symptoms of the disease the patient had previously experienced. And after evaluating the patient’s record, a complete physical exam is in order. This, on the other hand, is performed so that the doctor’s initial diagnosis is evaluated.

Then more complex tests are performed. Depending upon the doctor’s needs, he could request for an echocardiogram, a cardiac MRI, a cardiac CT scan, an electrophysiologic testing, or a Holter monitor. Of these tests, cardiac MRI is most preferred because it can visualize the fat and fibrous infiltration of the heart’s right ventricle. A cardiac CT scan, on the other hand, is performed mostly to rule out any other diseases that have symptoms similar to right ventricular dysplasia.

The Treatment of Right Ventricular Dysplasia
To treat this disease, the protocol is to first relieve the patient of all the symptoms associated with the disease. The possibility of a heart failure has to be controlled and the probability of sudden death has to be prevented. The common medicines used to address arrhythmia are given.

The patient’s medical therapy is also performed with radiofrequency ablation. This is a procedure that involves the insertion of a tube or a catheter toward the patient’s heart so as to treat the disease. Patients who are at higher risks of experiencing cardiac arrest that could lead to sudden death are treated with implantable defibrillators. These devices are sometimes referred to as the pacemakers, which monitors and controls the heart’s rate and rhythm.