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Cardiac Anderson-Fabry disease: lessons from a 25-year-follow up
Dulce Brito1, Gabriel Miltenberger-Miltenyi2, Oana Moldovan3
1Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal; Lisbon Academic Medical Centre/Cardiovascular Centre of the University of Lisbon, Portugal.
Insights
A novel genetic mutation revealed Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) in a patient initially diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This finding has significant treatment and screening implications for AFD patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Genetics
- Rare Diseases
Background:
- Sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a primary genetic cause of left ventricular hypertrophy with no targeted therapy.
- Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) is a rare multisystemic disorder that can present with cardiac symptoms mimicking HCM.
Observation:
- A patient with a 25-year history of familial HCM and no identified sarcomeric mutations was studied.
- Next-generation sequencing was employed for genetic analysis.
Findings:
- A novel pathogenic mutation in the GLA gene was identified.
- This mutation confirmed a diagnosis of previously unrecognized multisystemic Anderson-Fabry disease.
Implications:
- Accurate diagnosis of AFD impacts patient prognosis and treatment strategies.
- Genetic identification necessitates familial screening for Anderson-Fabry disease.
- Distinguishing AFD from HCM is crucial for appropriate patient management.
Abstract:
Sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common genetic cause of unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy and has no specific treatment. Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) is rare and usually multisystemic, but occasionally expresses clinically as a predominantly cardiac phenotype mimicking HCM. We describe an illustrative case of a patient followed regularly for 25 years with a diagnosis of familial HCM and no identified sarcomeric mutations. Next-generation sequencing analysis identified a novel pathogenic mutation in the GLA gene, leading to a diagnosis of previously unknown multisystemic AFD, with consequent implications for the patient's treatment and prognosis and familial screening.
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