
Clinical Clues and Diagnostic Workup of Cardiac Amyloidosis
Author(s) -
Sajan Gill,
Eric Fellin,
Lisa Stampke,
Yunazi Zhao,
Ahmad Masri
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
methodist debakey cardiovascular journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.552
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1947-6094
pISSN - 1947-6108
DOI - 10.14797/mdcvj.1061
Subject(s) - medicine , cardiac amyloidosis , amyloidosis , transthyretin , disease , intensive care medicine , cardiology , heart failure , pathology
Cardiac amyloidosis is increasingly recognized as an underlying cause of left ventricular wall thickening, heart failure, and arrhythmia with variable clinical presentation. Due to the subtle cardiac findings in early transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis and the availability of therapies that can modify but not reverse the disease progression, early recognition is vital. In light chain amyloidosis, timely diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve survival. In this manuscript, we review the clinical, imaging, and electrocardiographic clues that should raise suspicion for cardiac amyloidosis and provide a simplified diagnostic workup algorithm that ensures an accurate diagnosis. The evolution of the noninvasive diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis has significantly influenced our understanding of disease prevalence, presentations, and outcomes. However, clinical recognition of clues and red flags remains the most important factor in advancing the care of patients with cardiac amyloidosis.