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Cardiomyopathies in propionic aciduria are reversible after liver transplantation
Stéphane Romano1, Vassili Valayannopoulos, Guy Touati
1Metabolic Unit and Reference Center of Metabolic Diseases, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
Insights
Propionic acidemia (PA) can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy, a frequent complication. This heart condition may reverse after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), suggesting a potential treatment pathway.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Metabolic Disorders
- Genetics
Background:
- Propionic acidemia (PA) is an inherited metabolic disorder.
- Cardiomyopathy is a known potential complication of PA.
Observation:
- A retrospective study compared patients with PA and cardiomyopathy to those without.
- Dilated cardiomyopathy developed in 6 of 26 surviving PA patients.
Findings:
- Cardiomyopathy in PA patients occurred independently of metabolic profiles.
- Two patients experienced cardiomyopathy reversal post-orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).
- Two patients had OLT contraindicated due to severe heart disease.
Implications:
- Dilated cardiomyopathy is a significant complication of PA.
- Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) may reverse cardiomyopathy in PA patients.
- Early OLT may be crucial for managing cardiac complications in PA.
Objective:
To evauluate the relationship between propionic acidemia (PA) and cardiomyopathy.
Study Design:
We retrospectively compared clinical and metabolic results of patients with PA with and without cardiomyopathy.
Results:
Of 26 patients with PA who survived the first year of age, a dilated cardiomyopathy developed in 6 (group 1) at a median age of 7 years (range, 5-11 years). They were compared with 14 patients without cardiomyopathy for whom data were available (group 2). Their median age at the time of the study was 11 years (range, 3-21 years). PA was diagnosed in the neonatal period in 5 of 6 patients in group 1 and 11 of 14 patients in group 2. All patients received similar medical treatment. Two patients in group 1 died of cardiac arrest. In 2 patients, the cardiomyopathy was reversed during the year after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). In 2 other patients, OLT was contraindicated because of severe heart disease. The number of metabolic distress episodes was similar in both groups. Excretion of propionate metabolites in urine did not correlate with the occurrence of cardiomyopathy.
Conclusion:
Dilated cardiomyopathy, a frequent complication of PA, develops independent of any specific metabolic profile and is reversible after OLT.
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