Amyloid cardiomyopathy

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Amyloid cardiomyopathy (stiff heart syndrome) [1] is a condition resulting in the death of part of the myocardium (heart muscle). It is associated with the systemic production and release of many amyloidogenic proteins, especially immunoglobulin light chain or transthyretin (TTR). [2] It can be characterized by the extracellular deposition of amyloids, foldable proteins that stick together to build fibrils in the heart. [3] The amyloid can be seen under polarized light in congo red stained biopsy.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Symptoms

Amyloid cardiomyopathy is associated with a number of symptoms:

Pathophysiology

Amyloid proteins are deposited in the myocardium. [5] This limits ventricular filling during diastole, which increases end-diastolic volume. [5] This can lead to a variety of cardiac issues, such as congestive heart failure, atrial arrythmia, ventricular arrythmia, and blocks to cardiac nervous conduction. [5]

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is often delayed, because its symptoms are non-specific. [7]

Electrocardiography can be used to identify low voltage and patterns similar to those of a heart attack. [6]

Cardiac MRI can be used to distinguish it from hypertensive heart disease. [4] [6] This shows a thicker interventricular septum. [6]

Treatment

Chemotherapy can treat amyloidosis if it is related to immunoglobulins. [7] Liver transplant can treat amyloidosis if it is related to familial transthyretin. [7]

Prognosis

Outcomes for amyloid cardiomyopathy are generally very poor, with fewer than 10% of patients surviving more than 5 years. [5] Without treatment, few patients survive more than 6 months. [5]

Epidemiology

In developed countries, amyloid cardiomyopathy is estimated to be involved in 0.1% of deaths. [5]

Related Research Articles

Cardiomyopathy Disease of the heart muscle

Cardiomyopathy is a group of diseases that affect the heart muscle. Early on there may be few or no symptoms. As the disease worsens, shortness of breath, feeling tired, and swelling of the legs may occur, due to the onset of heart failure. An irregular heart beat and fainting may occur. Those affected are at an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.

Premature ventricular contraction Human disease

A premature ventricular contraction (PVC) is a relatively common event where the heartbeat is initiated by Purkinje fibers in the ventricles rather than by the sinoatrial node. PVCs may cause no symptoms or may be perceived as a "skipped beat" or felt as palpitations in the chest. Single beat PVCs do not usually pose a danger.

Cardiac muscle Muscular tissue of heart

Cardiac muscle is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissue, with the other two being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the wall of the heart. The cardiac muscle (myocardium) forms a thick middle layer between the outer layer of the heart wall and the inner layer, with blood supplied via the coronary circulation. It is composed of individual cardiac muscle cells joined together by intercalated discs, and encased by collagen fibers and other substances that form the extracellular matrix.

Myocarditis Inflammation of the heart muscle

Myocarditis, also known as inflammatory cardiomyopathy, is inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, chest pain, decreased ability to exercise, and an irregular heartbeat. The duration of problems can vary from hours to months. Complications may include heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy or cardiac arrest.

An ejection fraction (EF) is the volumetric fraction of fluid ejected from a chamber with each contraction. Thus understood, ejection fraction may be used to measure a fluid of any viscosity discharged from a hollow organ to another cavity or outside of the body. Blood, bile and urine are commonly studied under this mathematical platform. For example, it may refer to the cardiac atrium, ventricle, gall bladder, or leg veins, although if unspecified it usually refers to the left ventricle of the heart. EF is widely used as a measure of the pumping efficiency of the heart and is used to classify heart failure types. It is also used as an indicator of the severity of heart failure, although it has recognized limitations.

Amyloidosis Metabolic disease involving abnormal deposited amyloid proteins

Amyloidosis is a group of diseases in which abnormal proteins, known as amyloid fibrils, build up in tissue. There are several types with varying symptoms; signs and symptoms may include diarrhea, weight loss, feeling tired, enlargement of the tongue, bleeding, numbness, feeling faint with standing, swelling of the legs, or enlargement of the spleen.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the heart becomes thickened without an obvious cause. The parts of the heart most commonly affected are the interventricular septum and the ventricles. This results in the heart being less able to pump blood effectively and also may cause electrical conduction problems.

Dilated cardiomyopathy Medical condition

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood effectively. Symptoms vary from none to feeling tired, leg swelling, and shortness of breath. It may also result in chest pain or fainting. Complications can include heart failure, heart valve disease, or an irregular heartbeat.

Transthyretin Serim protein related to amyloid diseases

Transthyretin (TTR or TBPA) is a transport protein in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid that carries the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) and retinol-binding protein bound to retinol. This is how transthyretin gained its name: transports thyroxine and retinol. The liver secretes transthyretin into the blood, and the choroid plexus secretes TTR into the cerebrospinal fluid.

Ventricular hypertrophy Medical condition

Ventricular hypertrophy (VH) is thickening of the walls of a ventricle of the heart. Although left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is more common, right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), as well as concurrent hypertrophy of both ventricles can also occur.

Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (TIC) is a disease where prolonged tachycardia or arrhythmia causes an impairment of the myocardium, which can result in heart failure. People with TIC may have symptoms associated with heart failure and/or symptoms related to the tachycardia or arrhythmia. Though atrial fibrillation is the most common cause of TIC, several tachycardias and arrhythmias have been associated with the disease.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy Medical condition

Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is a form of cardiomyopathy in which the walls of the heart are rigid. Thus the heart is restricted from stretching and filling with blood properly. It is the least common of the three original subtypes of cardiomyopathy: hypertrophic, dilated, and restrictive.

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy Medical condition

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy, also called transthyretin-related hereditary amyloidosis, transthyretin amyloidosis abbreviated also as ATTR, or Corino de Andrade's disease, is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease. It is a form of amyloidosis, and was first identified and described by Portuguese neurologist Mário Corino da Costa Andrade, in 1952. FAP is distinct from senile systemic amyloidosis (SSA), which is not inherited, and which was determined to be the primary cause of death for 70% of supercentenarians who have been autopsied. FAP can be ameliorated by liver transplantation.

Cardiac amyloidosis Medical condition

Cardiac amyloidosis is a subcategory of amyloidosis where there is depositing of the protein amyloid in the cardiac muscle and surrounding tissues. Amyloid, a misfolded and insoluble protein, can become a deposit in the heart’s atria, valves, or ventricles. These deposits can cause thickening of different sections of the heart, leading to decreased cardiac function. The overall decrease in cardiac function leads to a plethora of symptoms. This multisystem disease was often misdiagnosed, with diagnosis previously occurring after death during autopsy. However, recent advancements of technologies have increased the diagnosis of the disease. Cardiac amyloidosis has multiple sub-types including light chain, familial, and senile. One of the most studied types is light chain cardiac amyloidosis. Prognosis depends on the extent of the deposits in the body and the type of amyloidosis. New treatment methods are actively being researched in regards to the treatment of heart failure and specific cardiac amyloidosis problems.

The familial amyloid neuropathies are a rare group of autosomal dominant diseases wherein the autonomic nervous system and/or other nerves are compromised by protein aggregation and/or amyloid fibril formation.

Familial amyloid cardiomyopathy (FAC), or transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) results from the aggregation and deposition of mutant and wild-type transthyretin (TTR) protein in the heart. TTR amyloid fibrils infiltrate the myocardium, leading to diastolic dysfunction from restrictive cardiomyopathy, and eventual heart failure. Both mutant and wild-type transthyretin comprise the aggregates because the TTR blood protein is a tetramer composed of mutant and wild-type TTR subunits in heterozygotes. Several mutations in TTR are associated with FAC, including V122I, V20I, P24S, A45T, Gly47Val, Glu51Gly, I68L, Gln92Lys, and L111M. One common mutation (V122I), which is a substitution of isoleucine for valine at position 122, occurs with high frequency in African-Americans, with a prevalence of approximately 3.5%. FAC is clinically similar to senile systemic amyloidosis, in which cardiomyopathy results from the aggregation of wild-type transthyretin exclusively.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction Medical condition

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a form of heart failure in which the ejection fraction – the percentage of the volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle with each heartbeat divided by the volume of blood when the left ventricle is maximally filled – is normal, defined as greater than 50%; this may be measured by echocardiography or cardiac catheterization. Approximately half of people with heart failure have preserved ejection fraction, while the other half have a reduction in ejection fraction, called heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Wild-type transthyretin amyloid (WTTA), also known as senile systemic amyloidosis (SSA) and abbreviated as ATTR, is a disease that typically affects the heart and tendons of elderly people. It is caused by accumulation of a wild-type protein called transthyretin. This is in contrast to a related condition called transthyretin-related hereditary amyloidosis where a genetically mutated transthyretin protein tends to deposit at a much earlier age than in WTTA, due to abnormal conformation and bioprocessing. It belongs to a group of diseases called amyloidosis, chronic progressive conditions linked to abnormal deposition of normal or abnormal proteins, because these proteins are misshapen and cannot be properly degraded and eliminated by the cell metabolism.

Ischemic cardiomyopathy Medical condition

Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a type of cardiomyopathy caused by a narrowing of the coronary arteries which supply blood to the heart. Typically, patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy have a history of acute myocardial infarction, however, it may occur in patients with coronary artery disease, but without a past history of acute myocardial infarction. This cardiomyopathy is one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac death. The adjective ischemic means characteristic of, or accompanied by, ischemia — local anemia due to mechanical obstruction of the blood supply.

Pathophysiology of heart failure

The main pathophysiology of heart failure is a reduction in the efficiency of the heart muscle, through damage or overloading. As such, it can be caused by a wide number of conditions, including myocardial infarction, hypertension and amyloidosis. Over time these increases in workload will produce changes to the heart itself:

References

  1. "Cardiac amyloidosis: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". medlineplus.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  2. Liao, Ronglih; Ward, Jennifer E. (2017-06-09). "Amyloid Cardiomyopathy: Disease on the Rise". Circulation Research. 120 (12): 1865–1867. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.117.310643. ISSN   0009-7330. PMC   5584551 . PMID   28596171.
  3. Falk, Rodney H.; Dubrey, Simon W. (2010-01-01). "Amyloid Heart Disease". Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. Unusual Cardiomyopathies. 52 (4): 347–361. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2009.11.007. PMID   20109604.
  4. 1 2 Steingart, Richard M.; Chen, Carol; Liu, Jennifer (2016-01-01), Herrmann, Joerg (ed.), "Chapter 7 - Subtypes of Cancer Involving the Heart", Clinical Cardio-Oncology, Elsevier, pp. 121–131, doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-44227-5.00007-7, ISBN   978-0-323-44227-5 , retrieved 2020-11-27
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gillespie, Hamilton S.; Benjamin, Ivor J. (2012-01-01), Hill, Joseph A.; Olson, Eric N. (eds.), "Chapter 43 - Infiltrative and Protein Misfolding Myocardial Diseases", Muscle, Boston/Waltham: Academic Press, pp. 625–637, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-381510-1.00043-0, ISBN   978-0-12-381510-1 , retrieved 2020-11-27
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Benson, Merrill D. (2013-01-01), Rimoin, David; Pyeritz, Reed; Korf, Bruce (eds.), "Chapter 79 - Amyloidosis and Other Protein Deposition Diseases", Emery and Rimoin's Principles and Practice of Medical Genetics, Oxford: Academic Press, pp. 1–18, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-383834-6.00083-5, ISBN   978-0-12-383834-6 , retrieved 2020-11-27
  7. 1 2 3 Sher, T.; Gertz, M. A. (2018-01-01), Vasan, Ramachandran S.; Sawyer, Douglas B. (eds.), "Amyloid Cardiomyopathy", Encyclopedia of Cardiovascular Research and Medicine, Oxford: Elsevier, pp. 66–79, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-809657-4.11051-8, ISBN   978-0-12-805154-2 , retrieved 2020-11-27