Emerging Advances in the Management of Cardiac Amyloidosis

Amyloidosis is a disease in which proteins misfold, aggregate into fibrils, and deposit extracellularly disrupting organ architecture and function. There are two main types which affect the heart: light chain (AL) amyloidosis and transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR). There is a misconception that cardiac amyloidosis has no effective treatment options. However, over the past decade, there has been extensive research and drug development. Outcomes are improving in AL amyloidosis with evolving chemotherapeutic regimens and novel monoclonal antibodies. In ATTR, therapies that decrease protein production, prevent dissociation, and promote clearance have the potential to slow or even halt a disease which is uniformly fatal. Selected patients may be candidates for heart and/or stem cell transplant and should be promptly referred to an experienced amyloid program. Herein, we discuss the emerging advances for the treatment of cardiac amyloidosis.