Tafamidis improves myocardial longitudinal strain in A97S transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

ABSTRACT

Background: Transthyretin cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a debilitating disease that has received much attention since the emergence of novel treatments. The Transthyretin Cardiomyopathy Clinical Trial showed that tafamidis, a transthyretin tetramer stabilizer, effectively reduced the declines in functional capacity and quality of life. However, Ala97Ser (A97S) hereditary ATTR-CM is underrepresented in major ATTR-CM tafamidis trials. Objectives: We aim to investigate the change in global longitudinal strain (GLS) of A97S ATTR-CM patients after 12 months of tafamidis treatment. Methods: We retrospectively analysed a prospective cohort of patients with A97S ATTR-CM who received tafamidis meglumine (61 mg/day) at the National Taiwan University Hospital. Echocardiography with speckle tracking strain analysis was performed at baseline and 12 months after treatment. Results: In all, 20 patients were included in the cohort. The baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and interventricular septum (IVS) thickness were 59.20 ± 13.23% and 15.10 ± 3.43 mm, respectively. After 12 months of tafamidis treatment, the LVEF and IVS were 61.83 ± 15.60% (p = 0.244) and 14.59 ± 3.03 mm (p = 0.623), respectively. GLS significantly improved from -12.70 ± 3.31% to -13.72 ± 3.17% (p = 0.048), and longitudinal strain (LS) in apical and middle segments significantly improved from -16.05 ± 4.82% to -17.95 ± 3.48% (p = 0.039) and -11.89 ± 4.38% to -13.58 ± 3.12% (p = 0.039), respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that patients with LVEF < 50% had a better treatment response and improvement in GLS. The patients with an IVS ⩾ 13 mm had an improvement in two-chamber LS from -10.92 ± 4.25% to -13.15 ± 3.87% (p = 0.042) and an improvement in apical left ventricular LS from -15.30 ± 5.35% to -17.82 ± 3.99% (p = 0.031). Conclusion: Tafamidis significantly improved GLS, and particularly apical and middle LS in A97S ATTR-CM patients.

Tafamidis improves myocardial longitudinal strain in A97S transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis Transthyretin cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a severe heart condition that has gained attention due to recent advancements in treatments. One of these treatments, called tafamidis, has been shown to be effective in maintaining heart function and quality of life. However, there has been limited research on a specific genetic variation of ATTR-CM A97S. Our aim was to determine whether A97S ATTR-CM patients experienced improved heart function after one year of tafamidis treatment. We conducted this study at the National Taiwan University Hospital, where we enrolled 20 A97S ATTR-CM patients. We used echocardiography to evaluate their heart function, focusing on a parameter called global longitudinal strain. The results showed that after one year of tafamidis treatment, these patients experienced a significant improvement in their global longitudinal strain, particularly in the apical and middle regions of the heart. In conclusion, tafamidis appears to be beneficial for A97S ATTR-CM patients by enhancing their heart's global longitudinal strain, which is a positive sign for their cardiac health.