Should I do anything about my stiff heart?

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Question:

Should I do anything about my stiff heart?

My doctor told me I had a stiff heart after I had an echocardiogram. He said it is usually because of high blood pressure or clogged arteries. I have neither. He did not recommend any treatment. Should I do anything about this? He told me it was nothing to worry about.

submitted by Tina from Kansas City, Missouri on 3/5/10

Ask a Texas Heart Institute Doctor illustration Answer:

by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, Atasu K. Nayak, MD

Thanks for the question. One of the common causes of stiff heart is old age. I do not know your age. Please follow up with your cardiologist regularly about this. Please modify your risk factors for coronary artery disease and do regular exercise.

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Updated March 2010

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Through this community outreach program, staff members of the Texas Heart Institute (THI) provide educational information related to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular disease. It is not the intention of THI to provide specific medical advice, but rather to provide users with information to better understand their health and their diagnosed disorders. Specific medical advice will not be provided and THI urges you to visit a qualified physician for diagnosis and for answers to your questions.

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