Symptom 3. Shortness of Breath: A Subtle Yet Significant Indicator of Amyloidosis
However, if you find yourself feeling breathless more often than not, even during activities that you could earlier breeze through, it could be a signal from your body that all is not well. Shortness of breath, also known as dyspnea, is not a symptom to be dismissed, especially as it could be an early warning sign of a potentially serious condition like amyloidosis.
Breathing is a function so automatic that we barely give it a second thought, until, of course, it becomes laborious. In the case of amyloidosis, the abnormal amyloid proteins can deposit in various organs, including the heart and lungs, leading to an array of symptoms, one of which is shortness of breath.
When amyloid proteins invade the heart tissue (in a type of the disease known as cardiac amyloidosis), they disrupt the normal functioning of the heart. The heart’s walls become stiff and its ability to pump blood efficiently is compromised. This results in a lower volume of blood and oxygen reaching the lungs, making you feel breathless, even with minimal exertion.
Simultaneously, if the amyloid proteins deposit in the lung tissue, they can impair lung function directly. They interfere with the lungs’ ability to expand and contract efficiently during breathing, leading to a feeling of breathlessness. (3)
