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Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Determining the Likelihood of Variant Pathogenicity Using Amino Acid-level Signal-to-Noise Analysis of Genetic Variation
Published on: January 16, 2019
Importance of genetic evaluation and testing in pediatric cardiomyopathy
Muhammad Tariq1, Stephanie M Ware1
1Muhammad Tariq, Stephanie M Ware, Department of Pediatrics and Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States.
Insights
Genetic factors significantly contribute to pediatric cardiomyopathies, a group of serious heart muscle disorders. Advances in genetic testing are improving diagnosis and identifying potential therapeutic targets for affected children.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Genetics
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Pediatric cardiomyopathies encompass diverse heart muscle disorders causing significant illness and death in children.
- Genetic factors play a crucial role, with over 100 genes linked to these conditions.
- Challenges in genetic diagnosis include numerous genes, private mutations, and interpreting rare variants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on genetic causes of pediatric cardiomyopathy.
- To discuss the diagnostic relevance of genetic findings in clinical practice.
- To highlight the impact of new sequencing technologies on gene discovery and diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on genetic etiologies of pediatric cardiomyopathy.
- Discussion of diagnostic challenges and advancements.
- Exploration of genotype-phenotype correlations.
Main Results:
- Over 100 genes are implicated in pediatric cardiomyopathy.
- Next-generation sequencing technologies are accelerating gene discovery.
- Understanding genetic underpinnings aids in diagnosing and potentially treating these conditions.
Conclusions:
- Genetic diagnosis of pediatric cardiomyopathy is complex but improving.
- Genotype-phenotype correlations are key to understanding disease mechanisms.
- Identifying genetic targets may lead to novel therapies for pediatric heart muscle dysfunction.
Abstract:
Pediatric cardiomyopathies are clinically heterogeneous heart muscle disorders that are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. Phenotypes include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, left ventricular noncompaction and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. There is substantial evidence for a genetic contribution to pediatric cardiomyopathy. To date, more than 100 genes have been implicated in cardiomyopathy, but comprehensive genetic diagnosis has been problematic because of the large number of genes, the private nature of mutations, and difficulties in interpreting novel rare variants. This review will focus on current knowledge on the genetic etiologies of pediatric cardiomyopathy and their diagnostic relevance in clinical settings. Recent developments in sequencing technologies are greatly impacting the pace of gene discovery and clinical diagnosis. Understanding the genetic basis for pediatric cardiomyopathy and establishing genotype-phenotype correlations may help delineate the molecular and cellular events necessary to identify potential novel therapeutic targets for heart muscle dysfunction in children.
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