Screening for Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy in Everyday Practice

• Published in: JACC. Heart failure Vol. 7; no. 8; pp. 709 - 716
• Main Authors: Witteles, Ronald M., Bokhari, Sabahat, Damy, Thibaud, Elliott, Perry M., Falk, Rodney H., Fine, Nowell M., Gospodinova, Mariana, Obici, Laura, Rapezzi, Claudio, Garcia-Pavia, Pablo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.08.2019
• Subjects: amyloidosis; cardiomyopathy; diagnosis; identification; transthyretin amyloid; EKG; amyloidosis; transthyretin amyloid; ATTRm; diagnosis; CMR; AL; HFpEF; Tc; identification; TTR; ATTR-CM; cardiomyopathy; ATTRwt
• ISSN: 2213-1779; 2213-1787
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jchf.2019.04.010

Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a life-threatening, progressive, infiltrative disease caused by the deposition of transthyretin amyloid fibrils in the heart, and can often be overlooked as a common cause of heart failure. Delayed diagnosis due to lack of disease awareness and misdiagnosis results in a poorer prognosis. Early accurate diagnosis is therefore key to improving patient outcomes, particularly in the context of both the recent approval of tafamidis in some countries (including the United States) for the treatment of ATTR-CM, and of other promising therapies under development. With the availability of scintigraphy as an inexpensive, noninvasive diagnostic tool, the rationale to screen for ATTR-CM in high-risk populations of patients is increasingly warranted. Here the authors propose a framework of clinical scenarios in which screening for ATTR-CM is recommended, as well as diagnostic “red flags” that can assist in its diagnosis among the wider population of patients with heart failure. [Display omitted] •ATTR-CM is a life-threatening, progressive disease that is often underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed.•Certain clinical scenarios have been identified that now warrant screening for ATTR-CM.•Once ATTR-CM is suspected, a definitive diagnosis can usually be achieved noninvasively.•Accurate, early diagnosis of ATTR-CM is key to enabling appropriate patient care.