Cardiac amyloidosis, a monoclonal gammopathy and a potentially misleading mutation

Nat Clin Pract Cardiovasc Med. 2009 Feb;6(2):128-33. doi: 10.1038/ncpcardio1423. Epub 2008 Dec 17.

Abstract

Background: A 46-year-old Afro-Caribbean man presented with progressive dyspnea and recurrent syncope. Clinical examination revealed evidence of biventricular failure.

Investigations: Electrocardiography, echocardiography, cardiac biopsy, measurement of serum levels of free light chain, scintigraphy with radiolabeled serum amyloid P component, transthyretin gene sequencing and immunohistochemistry.

Diagnosis: Cardiac acquired monoclonal immunoglobulin-light-chain amyloidosis with the incidental presence of the amyloidogenic transthyretin Val122Ile mutation.

Management: The patient was referred for consideration of urgent cardiac transplantation and subsequent autologous stem cell transplantation. Unfortunately, he died suddenly within a few weeks of referral.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amyloidosis / complications
  • Amyloidosis / diagnosis*
  • Amyloidosis / genetics
  • Amyloidosis / immunology
  • Amyloidosis / therapy
  • Biopsy
  • Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive / complications
  • Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive / diagnosis*
  • Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive / genetics
  • Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive / immunology
  • Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive / therapy
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Dyspnea / etiology
  • Echocardiography
  • Echocardiography, Doppler, Color
  • Electrocardiography
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Heart Failure / etiology
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains / analysis*
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mutation*
  • Paraproteinemias / complications
  • Paraproteinemias / diagnosis*
  • Paraproteinemias / genetics
  • Paraproteinemias / immunology
  • Paraproteinemias / therapy
  • Prealbumin / genetics*
  • Syncope / etiology
  • Whole Body Imaging

Substances

  • Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains
  • Prealbumin