The abnormalities of free fatty acid metabolism in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a single-center retrospective observational study

Abstract Background Previous studies have shown the importance of energy deficiency and malfunctioning mitochondria in the pathophysiology of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). There has been a little research into the relationship between plasma free fatty acids (FFA), one of the heart’s main energy sources, and HCM. We evaluated its clinical importance in HCM to see if there was a link between plasma FFA metabolism and HCM. Methods In a single-center retrospective observational study, we investigated 420 HCM patients diagnosed at Beijing Anzhen Hospital between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022. Meanwhile, 1372 individuals without HCM (non-HCM) were recruited. 391 non-HCM patients were chosen as controls via a propensity score matching (PSM) study with a 1:1 ratio. Results FFA in HCM patients showed statistically significant correlations with creatinine ( r = 0.115, p = 0.023), estimated GFR ( r =-0.130, p = 0.010), BNP ( r = 0.152, p = 0.007), LVEF ( r =-0.227, p < 0.001), LVFS ( r =-0.160, p = 0.002), and LAD ( r = 0.112, p = 0.028). Higher FFA levels were found in HCM patients who had atrial fibrillation and NYHY functional classes III or IV ( p = 0.015 and p = 0.022, respectively). In HCM patients, multiple linear regression analysis revealed that BNP and LVEF had independent relationships with increasing FFA (Standardized = 0.139, p = 0.013 and =-0.196, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions Among HCM patients, the plasma FFA concentration was lower, and those with AF and NYHY functional class III or IV had higher FFA levels, and LVEF and BNP were independently associated with increasing FFA. The findings of the study should help inspire future efforts to better understand how energy deficiency contributes to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) development.