Cardiac manifestation is evident in chorea-acanthocytosis but different from McLeod syndrome

Silvio Quick1, Felix Matthias Heidrich2, Max-Valentin Winkler2

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Intensive Care, Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH, Medizincampus Chemnitz der Technischen Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.

Insights

Cardiac involvement is revealed in chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc) and McLeod syndrome (MLS). MLS shows a higher risk of heart failure and arrhythmias compared to ChAc, necessitating specific cardiac assessments for both neuroacanthocytosis conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Cardiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Neuroacanthocytosis (NA) encompasses Chorea-Acanthocytosis (ChAc) and McLeod Syndrome (MLS).
  • Cardiac involvement was previously considered a hallmark primarily of MLS.
  • Limited data exists on cardiac manifestations in ChAc.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and compare cardiac manifestations in ChAc and MLS.
  • To identify differences in cardiac involvement between these two NA syndromes.
  • To establish disease-specific recommendations for cardiac assessment in ChAc and MLS.

Main Methods:

  • Studied six ChAc patients and six MLS patients.
  • Cardiac evaluation included echocardiography, cardiac MRI, 24-h ECG, and cardiac biomarkers.
  • Assessed left ventricular function, arrhythmias, and troponin levels.

Main Results:

  • Four of six ChAc patients showed cardiac involvement, including reduced LVEF and LV dilatation.
  • Four of five MLS patients exhibited LV dilatation, reduced LVEF, and ventricular tachycardia.
  • Elevated high-sensitive troponin T was observed in most patients; troponin I was elevated in a subset.

Conclusions:

  • Cardiac involvement is present in ChAc, with a seemingly lower risk of heart failure than in MLS.
  • MLS demonstrates a malignant cardiac profile with significant arrhythmias and heart failure progression.
  • Disease-specific cardiac assessment protocols are recommended for ChAc and MLS patients.
Abstract

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