Cardiac amyloidosis

Q: Cardiac amyloidosis usually presents with? (select one)

A) right-sided heart failure

B) left-sided heart failure

Answer: A

Cardiac amyloidosis usually cause restrictive cardiomyopathy with mostly right ventricular failure (RVF). Symptoms are typical of RVF i.e., dyspnea, leg edema, elevated jugular venous pressure (JVP), liver congestion, and ascites. Angina is not common. Is symptoms of syncope are present, attention should be paid to evaluate atrioventricular blocks.

#cardiology

References:

1. Cuddy SAM, Dorbala S, Falk RH. Complexities and Pitfalls in Cardiac Amyloidosis. Circulation 2020; 142:409.

2. Bhogal S, Ladia V, Sitwala P, Cook E, Bajaj K, Ramu V, Lavie CJ, Paul TK. Cardiac Amyloidosis: An Updated Review With Emphasis on Diagnosis and Future Directions. Curr Probl Cardiol. 2018 Jan;43(1):10-34. doi: 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2017.04.003. Epub 2017 Apr 13. PMID: 29173805.

3. Ash S, Shorer E, Ramgobin D, Vo M, Gibbons J, Golamari R, Jain R, Jain R. Cardiac amyloidosis-A review of current literature for the practicing physician. Clin Cardiol. 2021 Mar;44(3):322-331. doi: 10.1002/clc.23572. Epub 2021 Feb 17. PMID: 33595871; PMCID: PMC7943900.