Cardiac amyloidosis is associated with increased aortic stiffness

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) involves amyloid fibril deposition in the myocardium.
• This infiltration can affect cardiac structure and function.
• Ascending aortic elasticity is crucial for cardiovascular health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if echocardiography can detect altered ascending aortic elastic properties in CA patients.
• To compare aortic elasticity in CA patients with age- and gender-matched controls.

Main Methods:

• Echocardiography was used to evaluate 19 CA patients (17 AL, 2 TTR) and 20 controls.
• Key parameters included interventricular septum and LV posterior wall thickness, LV ejection fraction, E/A ratio, aortic strain, aortic diameter changes, and aortic stiffness index.

Main Results:

• CA patients displayed increased interventricular septum and LV posterior wall thickness, reduced LV ejection fraction, and higher E/A ratios, indicating systolic and diastolic dysfunction.
• Significantly reduced aortic strain and pulsatile changes in aortic diameter were observed in CA patients.
• Aortic stiffness index was significantly increased in CA patients compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• Echocardiography can detect increased aortic stiffness in cardiac amyloidosis patients.
• Altered ascending aortic elastic properties are a feature of cardiac amyloidosis.