The impact of Wilson disease on myocardial tissue and function: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance study

Systemic effects of altered serum copper processing in Wilson Disease (WD) might induce myocardial copper deposition and consequently myocardial dysfunction and structural remodeling. This study sought to investigate the prevalence, manifestation and predictors of myocardial tissue abnormalities in WD patients.

We prospectively enrolled WD patients and an age-matched group of healthy individuals. We applied cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to analyze myocardial function, strain, and tissue characteristics. A subgroup analysis of WD patients with predominant neurological (WD-neuro⁺) or hepatic manifestation only (WD-neuro^-) was performed.

Seventy-six patients (37 years (27-49), 47% women) with known WD and 76 age-matched healthy control subjects were studied. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation in WD patients was 5% and the prevalence of symptomatic heart failure was 2.6%. Compared to healthy controls, patients with WD had a reduced left ventricular global circumferential strain (LV-GCS), and also showed abnormalities consistent with global and regional myocardial fibrosis. WD-neuro⁺ patients presented with more severe structural remodeling and functional impairment when compared to WD-neuro^- patients.

In a large cohort, WD was not linked to a distinct cardiac phenotype except CMR indexes of myocardial fibrosis. More research is warranted to assess the prognostic implications of these findings.

This trial is registered at the local institutional ethics committee (S-188/2018).