No abstract

Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) results in a restrictive cardiomyopathy caused by extracellular deposition of transthyretin, normally involved in the transportation of the hormone thyroxine and retinol-binding protein, in the myocardium. Enthusiasm about ATTR-CM has grown as a result of 3 simultaneous areas of advancement: Imaging techniques allow accurate noninvasive diagnosis of ATTR-CM without the need for confirmatory endomyocardial biopsies; observational studies indicate that the diagnosis of ATTR-CM may be underrecognized in a significant proportion of patients with heart failure; and on the basis of elucidation of the mechanisms of amyloid formation, therapies are now approved for treatment of ATTR-CM. Because therapy for ATTR-CM may be most effective when administered before significant cardiac dysfunction, early identification of affected individuals with readily available noninvasive tests is essential. This scientific statement is intended to guide clinical practice and to facilitate management conformity by covering current diagnostic and treatment strategies, as well as unmet needs and areas of active investigation in ATTR-CM.

Background Population-based research on heart failure (HF) is hindered by lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria. Framingham (FRM), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Modified Boston (MBS), Gothenburg (GTH), and International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code criteria do not differentiate acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) from chronic stable HF. We developed a new classification protocol for identifying ADHF in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and compared it with these other schemes. Methods and Results A sample of 1180 hospitalizations with a patient address in four study communities and eligible discharge codes were selected. After assessing whether the chart contained evidence of possible HF signs, 705 were fully abstracted. Two independent reviewers classified each case as ADHF, chronic stable HF or no HF using ARIC classification guidelines. Fifty-nine percent of cases met ARIC criteria for ADHF and 13.9% and 27.1% were classified as chronic stable HF or no HF, respectively. Among events classified as HF by FRM criteria, 68.4% were validated as ADHF, 9.6% as chronic stable HF and 21.9% as no HF. However, 92.5% of hospitalizations with a primary ICD-9-CM 428 “heart failure” code were validated as ADHF. Sensitivities of comparison criteria to classify ADHF ranged from 38 to 95%, positive predictive values from 62 to 92%, and specificities from 19 to 96%. Conclusions Although comparison criteria for classifying HF were moderately sensitive in identifying ADHF, specificity varied when applied to a randomly selected set of suspected HF hospitalizations in the community.

Reduced kidney function is a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and both heart failure (HF) and kidney failure incidences are increasing. This study therefore sought to determine the effect of decreased kidney function on HF incidence in a population-based study of middle-aged adults.

Background A simple and effective Heart Failure (HF) risk score would facilitate the primary prevention and early diagnosis of HF in general practice. We examined the external validity of existing HF risk scores, optimized a 10-year HF risk function, and examined the incremental value of several biomarkers, including NT-proBNP. Methods and Results During 15.5 years (210,102 person-years of follow-up), 1487 HF events were recorded among 13,555 members of the bi-ethnic Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study cohort. The area under curve (AUC) from the Framingham-published, Framingham-recalibrated, Health ABC HF recalibrated, and ARIC risk scores were 0.610, 0.762, 0.783, and 0.797, respectively. Upon addition of NT-pro-BNP, the optimism corrected AUC of the ARIC HF risk score increased from 0.773 (95% CI: 0.753 – 0.787) to 0.805 (95% CI: 0.792 – 0.820). Inclusion of NT-proBNP improved the overall classification of re-calibrated Framingham, re-calibrated Health ABC, and ARIC risk scores by 18%, 12%, and 13%, respectively. In contrast, Cystatin C or hs-CRP did not add towards incremental risk prediction. Conclusions The ARIC HF risk score is more parsimonious yet performs slightly better than the extant risk scores in predicting 10-year risk of incident HF. The inclusion of NT-proBNP markedly improves HF risk prediction. A simplified risk score restricted to a patient’s age, race, gender, and NT-proBNP performs comparably to the full score (AUC = 0.745), and is suitable for automated reporting from laboratory panels and electronic medical records.