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Published on: August 8, 2022
Cardiomyopathy in limb girdle muscular dystrophy R9, FKRP related
Eric M Libell1, Julia A Richardson1, Katie L Lutz1
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Insights
Cardiomyopathy affects nearly half of limb girdle muscular dystrophy R9 patients. Those with the c.826C>A mutation experience later onset, aiding future cardiac management.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Genetics
Background:
- Limb girdle muscular dystrophy R9 (LGMDR9) is a genetic disorder with variable reported frequencies of cardiomyopathy.
- Understanding the prevalence and timing of cardiac involvement is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency and age of onset of cardiomyopathy in a cohort of LGMDR9 patients.
- To investigate the relationship between specific genotypes and cardiac outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of echocardiograms from 56 LGMDR9 subjects.
- Survival analysis was used to assess the cumulative probability of abnormal echocardiograms by age and genotype.
- Correlations between cardiac function (ejection fraction) and clinical measures (10-Meter Walk Test, forced vital capacity) were evaluated.
Main Results:
- Cardiomyopathy was present in 45% (25/56) of the participants.
- The median age of first abnormal echocardiogram was significantly later for subjects homozygous for the c.826C>A variant (54.2 years) compared to other FKRP genotypes (18.1 years).
- A weak correlation was observed between ejection fraction and 10-Meter Walk Test speed, but not with forced vital capacity.
Conclusions:
- Cardiomyopathy is a prevalent complication in LGMDR9.
- Subjects homozygous for the c.826C>A mutation experience a later onset of cardiomyopathy.
- These findings are valuable for guiding surveillance and management strategies for LGMDR9 patients.
Introduction:
Reported frequencies of cardiomyopathy in limb girdle muscular dystrophy R9 (LGMDR9) vary. We describe the frequency and age at onset of cardiomyopathy in an LDMDR9 cohort.
Methods:
Echocardiograms from 56 subjects (157 echocardiograms) with LGMDR9 were retrospectively reviewed. The cumulative probability of having an abnormal echocardiogram as a function of age was assessed by survival analysis for interval-censored data by genotype. Correlations between cardiac and clinical function were evaluated.
Results:
Twenty-five (45%) participants had cardiomyopathy. The median age at first abnormal echocardiogram for subjects homozygous for the c.826C>A variant was 54.2 y compared to 18.1 y for all other fukutin-related protein (FKRP) genotypes (P < .0001). There was a weak correlation between ejection fraction and 10-Meter Walk Test speed (r = 0.25), but no correlation with forced vital capacity (r = 0.08).
Discussion:
Cardiomyopathy is prevalent among those with LGMDR9 and occurs later in subjects homozygous for the c.826C>A mutation. These data will help to guide surveillance and management.
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