Evaluating heart function in patients with POEMS syndrome

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Internal Medicine
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• POEMS syndrome is a rare multisystem disorder with various clinical manifestations.
• Cardiac involvement in POEMS syndrome is increasingly recognized but not fully characterized.
• Echocardiography is a crucial tool for assessing cardiac structure and function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the echocardiographic cardiac measurements in patients with POEMS syndrome.
• To determine the relationship between echocardiographic findings and clinical manifestations in POEMS syndrome.
• To identify subclinical cardiac dysfunction in treatment-naïve POEMS syndrome patients.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study included 27 treatment-naïve POEMS syndrome patients and 26 healthy controls.
• Conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) were performed.
• Clinical data, serological tests, and pulmonary function tests were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Patients with POEMS syndrome exhibited elevated left ventricular mass index (LVMI).
• Subclinical left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction was detected.
• Right ventricular (RV) systolic and diastolic functions were also impaired, with some patients presenting with pulmonary hypertension (PH).
• PH correlated with total lung capacity (TLC) and diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO).

Conclusions:

• Echocardiographic assessment reveals elevated LVMI, pulmonary artery hypertension, and subclinical systolic and diastolic dysfunction in both ventricles of POEMS syndrome patients.
• These findings highlight the significant cardiac impact of POEMS syndrome.
• Echocardiography is valuable for detecting early cardiac abnormalities in POEMS syndrome.