Sex related differences in exercise performance in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: hemodynamic insights through non-invasive pressure volume analysis

Background

Women with HCM have worse cardiopulmonary exercise performance compared to men. We used non-invasive pressure-volume (PV) analysis to delineate sex related hemodynamic differences in HCM.

Methods

PV loops were constructed from echocardiograms using left ventricular (LV) volumes indexed to body surface area, Doppler estimates of LV end-diastolic pressure and blood pressure. The end-systolic PV relationship (ESPVR) and end-diastolic PV relationship (EDPVR) were derived from validated single-beat techniques. The area between the ESPVR and EDPVR (isovolumetric PV area), was indexed to an LV end-diastolic pressure of 30mmHg (PVAiso30), as the integrated metric of LV function. LV volume at an end-diastolic pressure of 30mmHg (V30) indexed ventricular capacity.

Results

202 patients were included, 56 women. Women were older (51 vs 44 yrs, p=0.012) and had reduced exercise capacity (5.6 vs 6.9 METs, p<0.001). Only 32 patients (16%) had a peak gradient >30mmHg at rest with no sex differences. Women had significantly lower indexed PVAiso30 (6577 vs 7767 mmHg·mL/m2, p<0.001) driven by reduced ventricular capacitance (V30 54 vs 62 ml/m2, p<0.001). In multivariable linear regression indexed V30 was an independent predictor of exercise capacity.

Conclusion

Impaired exercise capacity in women with HCM appears strongly related to abnormalities in passive diastolic properties, suggesting a unique pathophysiology compared to men, and a potential difference in viable therapeutic molecular targets

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

Bariatric surgery is associated with lower risk of acute cardiovascular events in patients with obesity and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Background

Prior studies have suggested causal relationships between obesity and acute cardiovascular events (e.g., acute coronary syndrome, hypertensive crisis, and heart failure exacerbation). It has been known that the risk of cardiovascular events is reduced by bariatric surgery, the most effective method for substantial and sustained weight loss. However, little is known about whether bariatric surgery lowers the risk of acute cardiovascular events in the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) population.

Purpose

To test the hypothesis that patients with obesity and HCM who underwent bariatric surgery have lower risk of developing acute cardiovascular events than those who did not.

Methods

In this population-based study of adults with obesity and HCM, the bariatric surgery group consisted of patients who underwent bariatric surgery from January 2004 to December 2014, whereas the control group included those who received non-bariatric elective intra-abdominal surgery during the same period. The outcome was an acute cardiovascular event – defined as emergency department (ED) visit or unplanned hospitalization for cardiovascular disease – during a 1-year post-surgery period. We used the SPARCS database, a population-based ED and inpatient database that captures all the ED visits and hospitalizations in New York State. We constructed logistic regression models with generalized estimating equations to compare the risk of the outcome events during sequential 6-month periods. We conducted multivariable analysis, adjusting for age, sex, number of ED visits and hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease within 2 years before the index surgery, and the Elixhauser comorbidity measures. We also performed additional analyses with propensity score (PS)-matching at 2:1 ratio and inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) using these variables.

Results

The analytic cohort consisted of 207 adults with obesity and HCM, including 147 patients who underwent bariatric surgery and 60 who had non-bariatric elective intra-abdominal surgery. In the 7–12 months post-surgery period, the risk of acute cardiovascular event was significantly lower in the bariatric surgery group (adjusted OR 0.23; 95% CI, 0.068–0.71; P=0.01; Figure) compared to the control group. In the PS-matched cohort (n=82 vs. 47), there were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics (P>0.50 for all comparisons). Similar to the main analysis, the PS-matched analysis demonstrated lower risk of the outcome event in the bariatric surgery group in the 7–12 months post-surgery period (OR 0.26; 95% CI, 0.083–0.73; P=0.01). The IPTW analysis also replicated the findings (OR 0.33; 95% CI, 0.16–0.71; P=0.004 during the 7–12 months post-surgery period).

Conclusion

In this population-based study of 207 adults with obesity and HCM, bariatric surgery was associated with a lower risk of acute cardiovascular events in the 7–12 months post-surgery period in real-world settings.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Institute of Health (USA) and American Heart Association

Epidemiology, comorbidities, and healthcare utilization of patients with chronic urticaria in Germany

BACKGROUND

Comprehensive data on the epidemiology and comorbidities of chronic urticaria (CU) in Germany are either limited, or not contemporary.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the epidemiology of CU, overall comorbidities and healthcare resource utilized by patients with CU in Germany, using an anonymized statutory health insurance (SHI) database.

METHODS

Anonymized SHI claims research database of the Institute for Applied Health Research, Berlin [InGef] (01 January 2015-30 September 2018) was used to analyse insured individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of CU (ICD-10-GM codes). Twelve-month diagnosed prevalence and incidence, comorbidities (vs. atopic dermatitis and psoriasis), and healthcare utilization by patients with CU were investigated.

RESULTS

Of 4 693 772 individuals of all ages listed in the database, 3 538 540 were observable during 2017. Overall, 17 524 patients (˜0.5%) were diagnosed with CU; chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU: 71.2%), chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU: 19.7%), CSU+CIndU (9.1%). Females, vs. males, had higher diagnosed prevalence (0.62% vs. 0.37%) and diagnosed incidence (0.18% vs. 0.11%) of CU among all patients. Patients most frequently visited general practitioners (41.3% of total visits). Hypertensive diseases (43.5%), lipoprotein metabolism disorders (32.1%) and affective disorders (26.0%) were the most frequently reported comorbidities of special interest. Rates of most comorbidities of special interests were similar to atopic dermatitis and psoriasis patients, and all higher vs. overall population. More than half (54.1%) of all CU patients were not prescribed any treatment. Second-generation H₁ -antihistamines were the most commonly prescribed medication for adult (17.9%) and paediatric (27.9%) patients. Patients with CIndU (paediatric, 15.5%; adult, 7.8%) were more often hospitalized versus patients with CSU (paediatric, 9.9%; adult, 4.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

In Germany, prevalence of CU along with multiple comorbidities may pose increased burden on the healthcare system. Awareness of adhering to treatment guidelines, and aiming for complete control of urticaria, needs to be driven and may improve outcomes.

Variability of disease activity in patients with hereditary angioedema type 1/2: longitudinal data from the Icatibant Outcome Survey

BACKGROUND

Hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (HAE-1/2) is a chronic and debilitating disease. The unpredictable clinical course represents a significant patient burden.

OBJECTIVE

To analyse longitudinal registry data from the Icatibant Outcome Survey (IOS) in order to characterize temporal changes in disease activity in patients with HAE-1/2.

METHODS

Icatibant Outcome Survey (NCT01034969) is an international observational registry monitoring the clinical outcomes of patients eligible for icatibant treatment. The current analyses are based on data collected between July 2009 and July 2019. Retrospective data for attacks recorded in the 12 months prior to IOS enrolment and for each 12-month period up to 7 years were analysed.

RESULTS

Included patients reported angioedema attacks without long-term prophylaxis (LTP; n = 315) and with LTP (n = 292) use at the time of attack onset. Androgens were the most frequently used LTP option (80.8%). At the population level, regardless of LTP use, most patients (52-80%) reporting <5 attacks in Year 1 continued experiencing this rate; similarly, many patients (25-76%) who reported high attack frequency continued reporting ≥10 attacks/year. However, year on year, 31-51% of patients experienced notable changes (increase/decrease of ≥5 attacks) in annual attack frequency. Of patients who reported an absolute change of ≥10 attacks from Year 1 to 2, 17-50% continued to experience a change of this magnitude in subsequent years.

CONCLUSION

At the population level, attack frequency was generally consistent over 7 years. At the small group level, 28.8-34.5% of patients reported a change in attack frequency of ≥5 attacks from Year 1 to Year 2; up to half of these patients continued to experience this magnitude of variation in disease activity in later years, reflecting high intra-patient variability.

Interleukin-17 is a potential player and treatment target in severe chronic spontaneous urticaria

BACKGROUND

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is considered an autoimmune disorder in 50% of cases at least, in which T- and mast cell mediators are considered to be the primary cause of symptoms. However, H₁ -antihistamines, cyclosporine A, and omalizumab fail to achieve complete symptom amelioration in up to 70% of patients. This suggests that other inflammatory pathways are involved and that additional and more effective treatments need to be developed.

OBJECTIVE

This preliminary report examines the possibility that interleukin-17 (IL-17), a cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases, may contribute to CSU and its inhibition may offer a relevant therapeutic target.

METHODS

The expression of IL-17A in skin biopsies of 20 CSU patients and 10 healthy controls was determined by quantitative histomorphometry. We also assessed the response to secukinumab (anti-IL-17A) treatment patients of eight severe CSU (7-day urticaria activity score UAS7 32-40) who were H₁ -antihistamine and omalizumab-resistant.

RESULTS

Increased numbers of CD4+ T cells and mast cells were present in both lesional and non-lesional skin of CSU patients compared with healthy controls. Both types of cells were strongly positive for IL-17A and found to be in close proximity to each other. All eight patients treated with the anti-IL-17A antibody, secukinumab, showed significant improvement in CSU disease activity. The action of secukinumab was shown to be relatively slow in onset. The significant reduction in disease activity from baseline UAS7 was demonstrated to be 55% and 82% at 30 and 90 days, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that IL-17 is involved in the pathogenesis of CSU and that IL-17 should be investigated as a therapeutic target in future studies with larger numbers of patients.

P–083 Analysis of chromosomal segregation and interchromosomal effects (ICE) in sperms from balanced translocation carriers using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) after sperm selector separation

Study question

Influence of sperm selector separation of sperms on their translocation load, segregation pattern, motility and occurrence of interchromosomal effects

Summary answer

Sperm selector separation led to reduction of the translocation load, shift in segregation pattern and lower rates of interchromosomal effects within sperm samples

What is known already

Balanced translocations in men are known to be one of the main causes of reproductive failure. The segregation pattern in sperms is determined by the distribution of the chromosomes during meiosis. Interchromosomal effects can also influence the distribution of chromosomes that are not involved in the translocation. The sperm selector used consists of two concentric chambers, which are overlaid by a U-ring and a cover glass. Motile sperms migrate from the native ejaculate in the medium filled inner chamber by using a capillary bridge created by the U-ring. This avoids potential harmful centrifugation and allows accumulation of motile sperms.

Study design, size, duration

Twenty-one carriers of balanced translocations participated in the study. In addition, 15 patients were involved as control. All participants signed an informed consent (F–8–15). Samples of three patients did not meet the internal quality criteria and had to be excluded from analysis. The study started in 2015 and is still ongoing.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Liquefied native ejaculate was processed with a sperm selector. Native ejaculate, non-migrated sperms from the outer chamber and migrated sperms from the inner chamber were transferred onto glass slides, fixed and underwent a decondensation treatment. For segregation analysis FISH translocation specific FISH probe mixes were used and tested on patient’s blood. Interchromosomal effects were analysed with FISH probes for the chromosomes X, Y, 18 and 13, 21. Evaluation was done manually using fluorescence microscopy.

Main results and the role of chance

Segregation analysis was done for more than 25,000 sperms from men carrying a balanced translocation (18 patients with reciprocal and 3 patients with Robertsonian translocation). Separation via sperm selector led to a reduction in translocation load (native to separated approach 49,1±11,5% to 34,8±9,4% (P = &lt;0,01), the rate depending on the specific translocation. There was also a shift in the segregation pattern, which seemed to be influenced by the specific translocation and the resulting steric alignment of the corresponding quadrivalent / trivalent. Additionally, more than 90,000 sperms from patients with balanced translocations were analysed for interchromosomal effects. Separation led to reduced maldistribution rate (native to separated approach 7,1±3,5% to 5±3,1%, P = &lt;0,01) whereas the steric alignment of the corresponding quadrivalent / trivalent seems to influence the interchromosomal effect as well. For control, sperms from control patients were analysed regarding the chromosomes X, Y, 18 and 13, 21. In about 90,000 control sperms separation led to reduced maldistribution rate (native to separated approach 5,4±1,5% to 3,8±1,1%; P = &lt;0,01).

Limitations, reasons for caution

The number of accumulated strandbreak-free sperms depended on the motility and sperm count of the native ejaculate. Examinations are not reproducible, as each sample delivery is influenced by external circumstances

Wider implications of the findings: Sperm selector separation can be used before ART to reduce the translocation load and rate of maldistribution in sperms from carriers of balanced translocations. This could have a considerable impact on PGT results after trophectoderm biops.

Trial registration number

Not applicable

Lanadelumab demonstrates rapid and sustained prevention of hereditary angioedema attacks

Background

Lanadelumab demonstrated efficacy in preventing hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks in the phase 3 HELP Study.

Objective

To assess time to onset of effect and long‐term efficacy of lanadelumab, based on exploratory findings from the HELP Study.

Methods

Eligible patients with HAE type I/II received lanadelumab 150 mg every 4 weeks (q4wks), 300 mg q4wks, 300 mg q2wks, or placebo. Ad hoc analyses evaluated day 0‐69 findings using a Poisson regression model accounting for overdispersion. Least‐squares mean monthly HAE attack rate for lanadelumab was compared with placebo. Intrapatient comparisons for days 0‐69 versus steady state (days 70‐182) used a paired t test for continuous endpoints or Kappa statistics for categorical endpoints.

Results

One hundred twenty‐five patients were randomized and treated. During days 0‐69, mean monthly attack rate was significantly lower with lanadelumab (0.41‐0.76) vs placebo (2.04), including attacks requiring acute treatment (0.33‐0.61 vs 1.66) and moderate/severe attacks (0.31‐0.48 vs 1.33, all P ≤ .001). More patients receiving lanadelumab vs placebo were attack free (37.9%‐48.1% vs 7.3%) and responders (85.7%‐100% vs 26.8%). During steady state, the efficacy of lanadelumab vs placebo was similar or improved vs days 0‐69. Intrapatient differences were significant with lanadelumab 300 mg q4wks for select outcomes. Lanadelumab efficacy was durable—HAE attack rate was consistently lower vs placebo, from the first 2 weeks of treatment through study end. Treatment emergent adverse events were comparable during days 0‐69 and 70‐182.

Conclusion

Protection with lanadelumab started from the first dose and continued throughout the entire study period.

Long-term integrated safety of patisiran in patients with hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis with polyneuropathy

Background/Introduction

Hereditary transthyretin-mediated (hATTR) amyloidosis is a progressive, life-threatening disease; the majority of patients develop a mixed phenotype of polyneuropathy and cardiomyopathy. Patisiran halted or reversed polyneuropathy and improved quality of life in the Phase 3 (APOLLO) study. In a prespecified cardiac subpopulation of APOLLO, patisiran also improved cardiac structure and function versus placebo.

Purpose

To describe the long-term comprehensive, integrated safety data from the patisiran clinical development program in patients with hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy.

Methods

Safety data as of October 7, 2019 from the Phase 2 Open-Label Extension (OLE) (NCT01961921), Phase 3 APOLLO (NCT01960348), and ongoing Global OLE (NCT02510261) studies were analysed.

Results

Across the three studies, 224 patients received patisiran for a mean (range) of 43.6 (0.7–71.7) months, with a cumulative 813.9 patient-years of exposure; 105 (46.9%) patients received patisiran for ≥4 years and 35 (15.6%) patients received patisiran for ≥5 years. In this cohort, 149 (66.5%) had medical histories of cardiac disorders per MedDRA System Organ Class (SOC), which may be reflective of a mixed phenotype in some patients. A total of 222 (99.1%) patients experienced at least one adverse event (AE) and 132 (58.9%) patients experienced at least one serious AE. AEs considered to be related to patisiran and occurring in &gt;5% of patients included infusion-related reactions (IRRs) (25.9%) and diarrhoea (6.3%). Cardiac AEs occurring in &gt;5% of patients included atrial fibrillation (10.7%) and cardiac failure (7.6%). Amongst all patients, the exposure-adjusted mortality rate was 4.3 deaths per 100 patient-years.

Conclusions

Patients with hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy in the patisiran clinical development program represent those with the longest treatment with an RNAi therapeutic, including more than 15% of patients receiving patisiran for ≥5 years. Patisiran continues to demonstrate a positive benefit:risk profile in patients with hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Private company. Main funding source(s): Alnylam Pharmaceuticals