Amyloid cardiomyopathy in a large integrated health care system

Examining the Difficulties in Identifying and Handling Cardiac Amyloidosis; Acquiring Important Knowledge and Robust Treatment Methods

Systemic amyloidosis is a rare protein misfolding and deposition condition that causes slow organ failure. Each of the more than 15 exclusive sorts of systemic amyloidosis, which encourage amyloid production and tissue deposition, is introduced by a unique precursor protein. Amyloidosis can affect various organs, including the heart, kidneys, liver, nerves, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, muscles, skin, and soft tissues. It can either be acquired or hereditary. Insidious and doubtful signs often cause a put-off in diagnosis. In the closing decade, noteworthy progressions have been made in the identity, prediction, and handling of amyloidosis. Shotgun proteomics based on mass spectrometry has revolutionized amyloid typing and enabled the identification of novel amyloid forms. It is critical to correctly identify the precursor protein implicated in amyloidosis because the kind of protein influences the proper treatment strategy. Cardiac amyloidosis is a disorder characterized by the systemic accumulation of amyloid protein in the myocardium's extracellular space, which causes a variety of symptoms. The buildup of amyloid aggregates precipitates myocardial thickening and stiffening, culminating in diastolic dysfunction and, in due course, heart failure. We examine every kind of systemic amyloidosis in this text to offer practitioners beneficial equipment for diagnosing and treating those unusual diseases. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of cardiac amyloidosis and consolidates current methods for screening, diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment alternatives.

Prevalence and Clinical Outcomes of Transthyretin Amyloidosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Systematic evidence on the prevalence and clinical outcome of transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is missing. We explored: a) the prevalence of cardiac amyloidosis in various patient subgroups, b) survival estimates for ATTR subtypes and c) the effects of novel therapeutics on the natural course of disease.

METHODS

A systematic review of literature published in Medline before 31/12/2021 was performed for the prevalence of cardiac amyloidosis & all-cause mortality of ATTR patients. Extracted data included sample size, age, sex, and all-cause mortality at 1, 2 and 5-years. Subgroup analyses were performed for ATTR subtype i.e., wild type ATTR (wtATTR) vs. hereditary ATTR (htATTR), htATTR genotypes and treatment subgroups.

RESULTS

We identified a total of 62 studies (n=277,882 individuals) reporting the prevalence of cardiac amyloidosis, which was high among patients with a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotype, HFpEF, and elderly with aortic stenosis. Data on ATTR mortality were extracted from 95 studies (n=18,238 ATTR patients). Patients with wtATTR were older (p=7x10^-10 ) and more frequently male (p=5x10^-20 ) vs. htATTR. The 2-year survival of ATTR was 73.3% (95%CI 71.6-76.2); for non-subtyped ATTR 70.4% (95%CI 66.9-73.9), for wtATTR (76.0%, 95%CI: 73.0-78.9) and for htATTR (77.2%, 95%CI: 74.0-80.4); in meta-regression analysis wtATTR was associated with higher survival after adjusting for confounders. There was an interaction between survival and htATTR genotypes (p=10^-15 , Val30Met having the lowest and Val122Ile/Thr60Ala the highest mortality). ATTR 2-year survival was higher on tafamidis/patisiran compared to natural disease course (79.9%, 95%CI: 74.4-85.3 vs. 72.4%, 95%CI 69.8-74.9, p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

We report the prevalence of ATTR in various population subgroups and provide survival estimates for the natural course of disease and the effects of novel therapeutics. Important gaps in worldwide epidemiology research in ATTR were identified. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Cardiac amyloidosis: Description of a series of 143 cases

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Recently, there have been important advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac amyloidosis (CA). Our aim was to provide an updated description of its 2 most frequent types: the transthyretin CA (ATTR-CA) and the light chain CA (AL-CA).

METHODS

Prospective registry of patients with CA diagnosed in 7 institutions in Galicia (Spain) between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2020. Variables related to clinical characteristics, complementary tests, survival and causes of death were collected.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-three patients with CA were consecutively included, 128 ATTR-CA (89.5%) and 15 AL-CA (10.5%). Mean age was 79.6±7.7 years and 23.8% were women. Most patients with ATTR-CA were diagnosed non-invasively (87.5%). On physical examination, 35.7, 35 and 7% had Popeye's sign, Dupuytren's contracture and macroglossia, respectively. Twelve-month and 24-month survival was 92.1 and 76.2% in the ATTR-CA group, and 78.6 and 61.1% in the AL-CA group (P=.152). The cause of death was cardiovascular in 80.8% of the cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

ATTR-CA can be diagnosed non-invasively in most cases and it is the most common type of CA in routine clinical practice. Furthermore, an increase in the short-term survival of CA appears to be observed, which could be due to advances related to its diagnosis and treatment.

Prevalence and Outcomes of p.Val142Ile TTR Amyloidosis Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

The p.Val142Ile variant, predominantly found among people of African descent, is the most common cause of variant transthyretin amyloidosis and carriers predominantly develop a cardiomyopathy (variant transthyretin amyloidosis cardiomyopathy) phenotype. Yet, there are conflicting data on the prevalence and outcomes of p.Val142Ile variant carriers.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review of the prevalence and outcomes of p.Val142Ile variant transthyretin amyloidosis cardiomyopathy among subjects of African descent. We found 62 relevant articles after searching the MEDLINE databases from 1980 to 2020 that reported data for ≈150 000 subjects.

RESULTS

The reported worldwide prevalence of the p.Val142Ile variant is 0.3% to 1.6% in the general population. Among people of African descent, the reported prevalence from all studies ranges from 1.1% to 9.8%, but for studies with >1000 subjects, it is 3% to 3.5%. The prevalence of the p.Val142Ile variant in a region is dependent on the reported percentage of subjects who are of African descent in that region. p.Val142Ile variant transthyretin amyloidosis cardiomyopathy typically presents in the seventh to eighth decade of life and the majority of cases reported were male, with 25% to 38% diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. It was associated with a longitudinally worse quality of life and a lower adjusted survival compared with other types of transthyretin amyloidosis cardiomyopathy.

CONCLUSIONS

The p.Val142Ile variant is the most common variant of the transthyretin gene with most carriers being of African descent. The true penetrance is unknown but the p.Val142Ile variant is associated with increased rates of incident heart failure and portends a lower overall survival. Increased awareness could lead to earlier diagnosis and improved heart failure outcomes among those of African descent, which is of increasing importance given the advent of novel therapeutics for this disease.

Light chain and transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis: Clinical characteristics, natural history and prognostic factors

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Light-chain amyloidosis (AL-CA) and transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) are the most common types of cardiac amyloidosis (CA). We sought to study the clinical characteristics and prognosis of both diseases.

METHODS

We conducted a single-centre, retrospective review of all patients diagnosed with CA between 1998 and 2018. Clinical characteristics, complementary tests, survival and other adverse clinical events were studied.

RESULTS

We identified 105 patients with CA, 65 ATTR-CA and 40 AL-CA. Mean age was 74.4 years; 24.8% were women. In both groups, heart failure was the most frequent clinical presentation (55.2%). The most prevalent electrocardiographic findings were the pseudoinfarct pattern (68.5%) and a Sokolow-Lyon index < 1.5 mV (67.7%), with no differences between the two subtypes of CA. One-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival was 43.3%, 40.4% and 35.4%, respectively, in AC-AL patients, and 85.1%, 57.3% and 31.4% in AC-ATTR patients (p = 0.004). AL-CA subtype (HR 3.41; 95% CI 1.45-8.06; p = 0.005), previous admission for heart failure (HR 4.25; 95% CI 1.63-11.09; p = 0.003) and a NYHA class III-IV (HR 2.76; 95% CI; 1.09-7.03; p = 0.033) were independent predictors of mortality, while beta-blocker therapy was associated with longer survival (HR 0.23; 95% CI 0.09-0.59; p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Differences exist between the clinical presentation of AL-CA and ATTR-CA patients. Both diseases, particularly AL-CA, are associated with poor life prognosis.

Diagnosis of Amyloidosis: A Survey of Current Awareness and Clinical Challenges Among Cardiologists in Switzerland

Introduction

Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is a progressive disease in which amyloid fibril deposition disrupts tissue structure and organ function. Many patients with ATTR present with cardiac involvement; recent studies indicate that ATTR prevalence is higher than expected in patients with certain heart conditions. Although long delays to diagnosis are common, recent treatment advances have made timely diagnosis critical to ensure appropriate patient management. Despite clinical guideline updates, it remains unclear how these are being implemented in routine patient care.

Methods

We performed a survey of practicing cardiologists in Switzerland to assess their knowledge of ATTR and current clinical practice.

Results

Overall, 72 cardiologists completed the questionnaire in a face-to-face interview (n = 16) or online (n = 56). Key findings highlighted wide variation in cardiologists’ knowledge about the diagnostic tests required for a differential diagnosis of ATTR. In particular, many cardiologists lacked familiarity with radiolabeled bone scintigraphy, an important non-invasive test that is part of the diagnostic algorithm for ATTR. Another challenge in diagnosing amyloidosis appears to be general awareness of ATTR among cardiologists.

Conclusions

Survey results highlight that cardiologists in Switzerland would benefit from information on the latest advances in ATTR to support them in screening heart failure patients and ensure that patients benefit from treatment advances.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s40119-019-00160-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.