Its Possible to reverse devastating heart condition for the 1st time

Three men who had heart failure caused by the build-up of sticky, toxic proteins are now free of symptoms after their condition spontaneously reversed in an unprecedented case described by a team at UCL (University College London) and the Royal Free Hospital. The condition, a form of amyloidosis affecting the heart, is progressive and has until now been seen as irreversible, with half of patients dying within four years of diagnosis.

The new study reports on three men, aged 68, 76 and 82, who were diagnosed with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis but who later recovered. Their own reports of symptoms improving was confirmed by objective assessments including cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) scans showing that the build-up of amyloid proteins in the heart had cleared.

The researchers also found evidence of an immune response in the three men that specifically targeted amyloid. The amyloid-targeting antibodies were not found in other patients whose condition progressed as normal. The imaging techniques also mean the burden of amyloid on the heart, and consequently the progression of the disease, can be more precisely monitored, making it easier to detect cases where the condition has reversed, rather than merely remaining stable.

Investigating this further, the researchers found antibodies in the three patients that bound specifically to ATTR amyloid deposits in mouse and human tissue and to synthetic ATTR amyloid. No such antibodies were present in 350 other patients in the cohort with a typical clinical course. If these antibodies could be harnessed, they could be combined with new therapies being trialled that suppress TTR protein production, enabling clinicians to clear away amyloid as well as preventing further amyloid deposition.

Reference:A

ntibody associated reversal of ATTR amyloidosis cardiomyopathy,New England Journal of Medicine