Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis*: an underdiagnosed cause of heart failure1-3
*Also known as transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM).ATTR cardiac amyloidosis is an underdiagnosed, progressive, and infiltrative disease that is often overlooked as a cause of heart failure1-3ATTR-CM is an underdiagnosed, progressive, and infiltrative disease that is often overlooked as a cause of heart failure1
ATTR-CM is an underdiagnosed, progressive, and infiltrative disease that is often overlooked as a cause of heart failure1
ATTR-CM is an underdiagnosed, progressive, and infiltrative disease that is often overlooked as a cause of heart failure1
ATTR-CM is an underdiagnosed, progressive, and infiltrative disease that is often overlooked as a cause of heart failure1
ATTR-CM is an underdiagnosed, progressive, and infiltrative disease that is often overlooked as a cause of heart failure1
ATTR-CM is an underdiagnosed, progressive, and infiltrative disease that is often overlooked as a cause of heart failure1
ATTR cardiac amyloidosis is a type of amyloidosis that results in thickened heart walls due to increasing amyloid fibril deposition.3
Untreated patients with ATTR cardiac amyloidosis have a median survival of ~2-3.5 years after diagnosis.4,5
Impact of ATTR cardiac amyloidosis on the heartEarly diagnosis of ATTR cardiac amyloidosis is critical as prognosis worsens rapidly, with1-3,5,6:
- continued amyloid deposition,
- subsequent advancing organ dysfunction,
- significant reduction in quality of life, and
- ultimately death
ATTR cardiac amyloidosis is a type of amyloidosis that may lead to organ dysfunction and significant mortality3-5,7,8
Amyloidosis is a multisystemic disease caused by the deposition of amyloid fibrils in the heart and other organs over time.3,9 These amyloid fibrils are aggregates of the thyroxine and retinol transporter protein transthyretin (TTR).10
TTR is mainly produced in the liver and is assembled into a tetramer, or 4-leaf clover shape that normally dissociates and reforms.3,10 In ATTR cardiac amyloidosis, mutations and/or aging promote dissociation into monomers, which then misfold and aggregate to form amyloid fibrils.3,10
ATTR cardiac amyloidosis is one of the more frequent types of cardiac amyloidosis—the next being AL (or immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis), which is caused by amyloid fibrils known as monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains.13,14 It is important to clinically differentiate between ATTR cardiac amyloidosis and AL, as they have different clinical courses, and AL requires immediate treatment by a hematologist/oncologist.13,14
Main types of amyloidosis13Because amyloid fibrils can deposit in different parts of the body, including the heart and nerves, some patients may present with a mixed phenotype, namely, symptoms of both cardiomyopathy and polyneuropathy.10,15
The 2 subtypes of ATTR cardiac amyloidosisIn ATTR cardiac amyloidosis, the change that destabilizes the protein tetramers can be either a TTR gene mutation or age-related.10
Typical characteristics of wtATTR-CM
- Idiopathic, due to age-related changes in stability of the TTR protein3,4,16
- Historically, most common among Caucasian men17-19
- >60 years age at onset4,16,18,19
- ~3.5 years median survival if untreated after diagnosis4,18
Clinical presentations
- Heart failure: in 2 studies, ~7-13% of older patients had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)20,21†‡
- Cardiac arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation5,17,18
- Low-flow aortic stenosis5,22,23
- History of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome: ~50% of patients experience symptoms as many as 5-7 years prior to diagnosis5,17,24,25
Typical characteristics of hATTR-CM
- 50-60 years age at onset26,27
- ~2-3 years median survival if untreated after diagnosis5
- Hereditary, due to a mutation in the transthyretin (TTR) gene3,9,13,14§
-
>120 mutations of TTR 28,29
-
V122I is the most common in the US and is carried by 3%-4% of African Americans, though not all will develop the disease5,17,30
Clinical presentations in patients with V122I II
- Heart failure: 94% of patients had predominant cardiac involvement30,31
- Neurological or gastrointestinal symptoms17
- History of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome: second most frequent symptom (47%)24,31
Advanced hATTR-CM in untreated patients is associated with rapid progression, serious cardiac complications, and increased mortality, regardless of phenotype.1,2,5,6,17 Suspect the signs >Suspect and act: multidisciplinary collaboration is critical to earlier suspicion and diagnosis5,32-34
Patients with ATTR cardiac amyloidosis can present with additional manifestations, such as atrial fibrillation, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, or peripheral neuropathy.5,25
A well-coordinated healthcare team with expertise in different specialties and diagnostic modalities can offer patients comprehensive care when diagnosing ATTR cardiac amyloidosis.34
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