Key result
Three or more red flags linked to TTR-CA, with older age driving ~680% higher odds.
Why the study?
Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis commonly presents as HFpEF, and this study aimed to identify red flags that heighten suspicion of cardiac amyloidosis in HFpEF patients.
Do specific clinical, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic red flags predict the diagnosis of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis in patients with HFpEF?
Observational (n=167)
Yes
Do specific clinical, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic red flags predict the diagnosis of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis in patients with HFpEF?
Effect estimate: OR 7.80 (95% CI 1.32-46.06)
Absolute Event Rate: 89.5% vs 62.2%
p-value: p=0.023
In patients with HFpEF, the presence of three or more red flags—specifically older age, pseudo infarct pattern, low QRS voltage, and reduced LV-GLS—strongly predicts the presence of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.
Red flags may guide TTR-CA screening in HFpEF; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation.
OBJECTIVE: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is a cardiomyopathy characterized by amyloid infiltration in the myocardium. Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (TTR-CA), commonly presenting as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), was the focus of our study, which aimed to identify red flags that heighten suspicion of CA in HFpEF patients. METHODS: We prospectively included patients diagnosed with HFpEF. All patients were assessed for TTR-CA red flag features, cardiac and extra-cardiac, as outlined in the 'Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardiac Amyloidosis: A Position Statement of the European Society of Cardiology.' Technetium-99m pyrophosphate (99mTc-PYP) cardiac scintigraphy was performed in 167 HFpEF patients suspected of having TTR-CA. Patients testing positive and negative for TTR-CA were compared based on these red flag features. RESULTS: Out of 167 HFpEF patients, 19 (11.3%) were diagnosed with TTR-CA. In the TTR-CA group, 17 (89.5%) patients were 65 years or older. The presence of three or more red flags differentiated the TTR-CA positive and negative groups (P = 0.040). Features such as low voltage and pseudo infarct patterns were more prevalent in the TTR-CA group (P < 0.001 and P < 0.048, respectively). Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) was lower in the TTR-CA positive group (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified four variables-older age, pseudo infarct pattern, low/decreased QRS voltage, and LV-GLS-as strong, independent predictors of TTR-CA, with significant odds ratios (ORs) of 7.8, 6.8, 16.9, and 1.2, respectively. CONCLUSION: In this study, TTR-CA etiology occurs in approximately one in every ten HFpEF patients. The presence of three or more red flags increases the likelihood of TTR-CA. Older age, pseudo infarct pattern, low/decreased QRS voltage, and reduced LV-GLS are the most significant red flags indicating TTR-CA in HFpEF patients.
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Halit Emre Yalvaç (2024) conducted an observational in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) (n=167). Presence of red flags (e.g., age ≥ 65 years) vs. Absence of red flags was evaluated on Diagnosis of Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis (TTR-CA) predicted by age ≥ 65 years (OR 7.80, 95% CI 1.32-46.06, p=0.023). The presence of three or more red flags increased the likelihood of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis, with older age, pseudo infarct pattern, low QRS voltage, and reduced LV-GLS acting as strong independent predictors.
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