Diastolic dysfunction is a problem with diastole, the first part of your heartbeat. Typically, your lower heart chambers relax and fill with blood during diastole. Diastolic dysfunction occurs when your lower heart chambers don’t relax as they should. Over time, the dysfunction can lead to diastolic heart failure.
Diastolic dysfunction is a problem with diastole, the first part of your heartbeat. During diastole, your lower heart chambers (ventricles) relax as they fill with blood.
Diastolic dysfunction may occur when your ventricles are stiff and don’t relax properly. When this happens, your ventricles don’t fill with blood as they should, and you may experience pressure buildup in your heart.
This can progress to diastolic heart failure, resulting in fluid buildup in your lungs, abdomen and legs.
When your heart beats, the top two chambers of your heart (atria) contract and push blood into the lower two chambers (ventricles). This process of blood filling the ventricles is diastole.
Then, your lower two chambers contract and send blood to your lungs and your aorta, your body’s largest artery. This contraction is systole.
Diastolic dysfunction that worsens may lead to diastolic heart failure, a type of left-sided heart failure. People with diastolic heart failure have a stiff left heart ventricle along with other heart failure symptoms, such as:
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Anyone may develop diastolic dysfunction, but you are more likely to get it if you are:
Or if you have:
As your top heart chambers continue to try to pump blood into your ventricles, you may experience pressure buildup. In turn, you may have fluid and pressure buildup in the blood vessels in your lungs (causing shortness of breath) or the blood vessels of your belly and legs (causing loss of appetite, and leg swelling).
Over time, diastolic dysfunction may lead to diastolic heart failure. It also is a leading cause of pulmonary hypertension or high blood pressure in the lungs. It may also be associated with atrial fibrillation.
Many people with diastolic heart failure have what is known HFpEF, or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
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Diastolic dysfunction is common in older adults. Some experts estimate that about half of all adults over age 70 have some level of diastolic dysfunction. It’s less common in children and adults under 70.
Many people have only mild diastolic dysfunction. You may feel out of breath when you exert yourself. As diastolic dysfunction worsens, shortness of breath may worsen, and you may develop symptoms of diastolic heart failure.
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Several conditions and heart problems may lead to diastolic dysfunction, including:
Your provider will likely use an echocardiogram to diagnose diastolic dysfunction. Echocardiograms are ultrasounds that measure how well your heart is pumping blood. It can also evaluate how well your heart valves are working.
Healthcare providers use a grading system to determine how severe diastolic dysfunction is:
Treatment for diastolic dysfunction may include:
You can lower your risk of developing diastolic dysfunction by practicing heart-healthy habits. You may:
Diastolic dysfunction can worsen and lead to heart failure without treatment. However, many people can manage the condition with lifestyle changes and medications.
It’s important to see your healthcare provider for regular screenings if you have diastolic dysfunction. Your provider will monitor the condition and offer additional treatments if your symptoms worsen.
If you have diastolic dysfunction or think you could, you may want to ask your healthcare provider:
Uncontrolled high blood pressure is the most common cause of diastolic dysfunction and diastolic heart failure.
People with diastolic dysfunction who don’t have coronary artery disease tend to have a lifespan similar to an age-matched general population. The outlook is slightly less favorable if you have other heart problems and diastolic dysfunction, including coronary artery disease or systolic heart failures.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Diastolic dysfunction occurs when the lower heart chambers don’t relax properly during diastole. As a result, you may experience pressure buildup in your heart chambers. Over time, diastolic dysfunction can lead to heart failure. However, many people successfully manage the condition with lifestyle changes, medications or other treatments.
Last reviewed on 07/04/2022.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy