A recent study of U.K. HCM patients compared a racially mixed sample of 425 patients, including 163 black patients and 262 Caucasians. The study concluded that while asymmetric septal hypertrophy was the predominant pattern in both ethnic groups, black patients had more instances of apical and concentric hypertrophy, which could, in turn, be responsible for delayed diagnosis of these patients.
The researchers concluded that even though the success rate for HCM patients was approximately half that of patients who suffered from AFib but did not have HCM, catheter ablation is still an effective treatment for HCM patients; especially for those HCM patients who suffer from paroxysmal AFib and who have smaller atria.
Could your next implantable defibrillator use a light beam instead of electricity to restore a normal heart rhythm? According to a recent study, this might just become reality some day.
A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation was able to use optogenetics — which involves embedding light-sensitive proteins in living tissue — to terminate ventricular arrhythmias in the hearts of mice. Scientists at Johns Hopkins then created a computer simulation of the human heart to figure out if this technology could work on humans as well.
Check out this video for interviews with the researchers and further explanations of the study. Though still highly experimental, this could be the technology of the future.
Stay tuned……
The children/adolescents/young adults who participated in the study all carried at least one gene associated with HCM, and were members of families with strong histories of HCM. None of the 38 young people had clinical manifestations of HCM at the beginning of the study period, while 4 went on to develop HCM by the end of the study. In collecting the data analyzed in the study, the test results of the 4 individuals with HCM were compared to the 34 individuals that did not have HCM at the end of the study.
The factors associated with the development of overt HCM, as identified by the researchers, were: abnormal left ventricular relaxation and higher ejection fraction, EKG changes, longer mitral valve leaflets, higher NT-proBNP concentrations and troponin values.
In the conclusion, the authors acknowledged the need for further research and investigation in order to better understand the natural course and evolution of the disease.
Heart Metabolics announced today that its drug, Perhexiline, has moved into Phase 2b trials. The drug is intended for those patients with HCM and moderate to severe heart failure with preserved left ventricular function. Results of the Phase 2a study found the drug improved exercise capacity and quality of life in patients taking the drug.
To learn more about the staging of clinical drug trials and how they work, click here.
According to research presented at the 2016 European Society of Cardiology Congress today, sudden cardiac arrest from HCM, which has long been thought to result from exercise, is actually more likely to occur at rest, or even during sleep, according to Dr. Gherardo Finocchiaro, a cardiologist at St George’s University in London. Dr. Finocchiaro also pointed out that of the 184 HCM patients in his study, almost 80% had no previous symptoms of HCM, and only 1 in 5 had been diagnosed with HCM before their deaths. Interestingly, most of the sudden deaths from HCM analyzed in the study occurred in patients in their 30s and 40s.
Doctors at the University of Pennsylvania have created a new model which they say can predict the risk of sudden cardiac arrest in people without known heart disease. According to the article, published recently in Circulation, low levels of albumin, a protein commonly tested in routine blood panels, is a novel risk factor among the twelve factors identified. This article in Cardiac Rhythm News offers more details.
Lisa Yu, founder of Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation, posted this article today on Huffington Post. This piece summarizes the efforts currently being made to screen Olympic athletes and elaborates on how better screening and response protocols might help to avoid tragedies.
An August 20, 2016 article in The Lancet points out that many physicians do not effectively screen for or properly treat Atrial Fibrillation. Furthermore, aspirin, which is often given as a treatment for A-fib, is insufficient to prevent stroke.
If A-Fib is detected, treatment with anti-coagulants is essential.
A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that individuals of African descent found to carry genes previously identified with HCM did not, in fact, have the disease. Thus, the article highlighted the importance of including diverse populations when sequencing genomes for genetic diseases so as to avoid false diagnoses.
The New York Times also picked up this story, focusing its article on the negative repercussions that can result from a false positive genetic test for HCM.
In connection with the findings, National Public Radio interviewed three people, including Dr. Isaac Kohane, one of the researchers who published the findings of the lack of diversity in the HCM genetic panel, as well as New York City HCM patient Tarika Mingo. Finally, NPR spoke to veteran HCM expert Dr. Barry Maron, who noted a potential concern that athletes may have been erroneously disqualified from sports participation solely on the basis of false positive genetic testing results.
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