Zusammenfassung
Die molekulargenetische Untersuchung ist bei einigen kardiovaskulären Erkrankungen ein wichtiger Baustein der Diagnostik. Dabei hängt die diagnostische Wertigkeit der genetischen ...Untersuchung maßgeblich von anamnestischen und klinischen Faktoren wie dem Vorliegen einer positiven Familienanamnese und dem Krankheitsphänotyp ab. Bei kardiovaskulären Erkrankungen mit hohen Mutationsdetektionsraten wie der hypertrophen Kardiomyopathie oder primären Arrhythmiesyndromen (Long-QT-Syndrom, katecholaminerge polymorphe ventrikuläre Tachykardie) sollte die genetische Analyse zum Standard-Work-up gehören. Einen besonderen Stellenwert hat die genetische Diagnostik darüber hinaus bei der systematischen Untersuchung von Familienangehörigen der Betroffenen (Kaskadenscreening), um asymptomatische Mutationsträger rechtzeitig erkennen und präventiv therapieren zu können. Eine spezielle Indikation zur genetischen Diagnostik stellt die molekulare Autopsie, also die postmortale molekulargenetische DNA-Analyse dar. Sie dient v. a. beim plötzlichen Herztod der Todesursachenaufklärung durch den Nachweis krankheitsspezifischer Genmutationen. Bei selektivem Einsatz und sorgfältiger Interpretation der Ergebnisse können die molekulargenetischen Analysen einen sinnvollen diagnostischen und prognostischen Beitrag leisten. Perspektivisch werden sich die Anwendungsgebiete der genetischen Analysen vermutlich auch auf polygene kardiovaskuläre Krankheitsbilder ausweiten. Hier erlauben die neuen Hochdurchsatztechnologien die Bestimmung zahlreicher Varianten in unterschiedlichen Genen, die dann in polygenen Risiko-Scores zur Vorhersage der Erkrankungswahrscheinlichkeit herangezogen werden können.
Early repolarization pattern (ERP) on electrocardiogram was associated with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac arrest in a case-control study and with cardiovascular mortality in ...a Finnish community-based sample. We sought to determine ERP prevalence and its association with cardiac and all-cause mortality in a large, prospective, population-based case-cohort study (Monitoring of Cardiovascular Diseases and Conditions MONICA/KORA Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg) comprised of individuals of Central-European descent.
Electrocardiograms of 1,945 participants aged 35-74 y, representing a source population of 6,213 individuals, were analyzed applying a case-cohort design. Mean follow-up was 18.9 y. Cause of death was ascertained by the 9th revision of the International Classification of Disease (ICD-9) codes as documented in death certificates. ERP-attributable effects on mortality were determined by a weighted Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for covariables. Prevalence of ERP was 13.1% in our study. ERP was associated with cardiac and all-cause mortality, most pronounced in those of younger age and male sex; a clear ERP-age interaction was detected (p = 0.005). Age-stratified analyses showed hazard ratios (HRs) for cardiac mortality of 1.96 (95% confidence interval CI 1.05-3.68, p = 0.035) for both sexes and 2.65 (95% CI 1.21-5.83, p = 0.015) for men between 35-54 y. An inferior localization of ERP further increased ERP-attributable cardiac mortality to HRs of 3.15 (95% CI 1.58-6.28, p = 0.001) for both sexes and to 4.27 (95% CI 1.90-9.61, p<0.001) for men between 35-54 y. HRs for all-cause mortality were weaker but reached significance.
We found a high prevalence of ERP in our population-based cohort of middle-aged individuals. ERP was associated with about a 2- to 4-fold increased risk of cardiac mortality in individuals between 35 and 54 y. An inferior localization of ERP was associated with a particularly increased risk. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.
Recently, a large meta-analysis including over 28,000 participants identified nine different loci with association to serum uric acid (UA) levels. Since elevated serum UA levels potentially cause ...gout and are a possible risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI), we performed two large case-control association analyses with participants from the German MI Family Study. In the first study, we assessed the association of the qualitative trait gout and ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers that showed association to UA serum levels. In the second study, the same genetic polymorphisms were analyzed for association with CAD.
A total of 683 patients suffering from gout and 1,563 healthy controls from the German MI Family Study were genotyped. Nine SNPs were identified from a recently performed genome-wide meta-analysis on serum UA levels (rs12129861, rs780094, rs734553, rs2231142, rs742132, rs1183201, rs12356193, rs17300741 and rs505802). Additionally, the marker rs6855911 was included which has been associated with gout in our cohort in a previous study. SNPs rs734553 and rs6855911, located in SLC2A9, and SNP rs2231142, known to be a missense polymorphism in ABCG2, were associated with gout (p=5.6*10(-7), p=1.1*10(-7), and p=1.3*10(-3), respectively). Other SNPs in the genes PDZK1, GCKR, LRRC16A, SLC17A1-SLC17A3, SLC16A9, SLC22A11 and SLC22A12 failed the significance level. None of the ten markers were associated with risk to CAD in our study sample of 1,473 CAD cases and 1,241 CAD-free controls.
SNP markers in SLC2A9 and ABCG2 genes were found to be strongly associated with the phenotype gout. However, not all SNP markers influencing serum UA levels were also directly associated with the clinical manifestation of gout in our study sample. In addition, none of these SNPs showed association with the risk to CAD in the German MI Family Study.
The adipocyte-derived protein adiponectin is highly heritable and inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and coronary heart disease (CHD). We meta-analyzed 3 genome-wide ...association studies for circulating adiponectin levels (n = 8,531) and sought validation of the lead single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 5 additional cohorts (n = 6,202). Five SNPs were genome-wide significant in their relationship with adiponectin (P< or =5x10(-8)). We then tested whether these 5 SNPs were associated with risk of T2D and CHD using a Bonferroni-corrected threshold of P< or =0.011 to declare statistical significance for these disease associations. SNPs at the adiponectin-encoding ADIPOQ locus demonstrated the strongest associations with adiponectin levels (P-combined = 9.2x10(-19) for lead SNP, rs266717, n = 14,733). A novel variant in the ARL15 (ADP-ribosylation factor-like 15) gene was associated with lower circulating levels of adiponectin (rs4311394-G, P-combined = 2.9x10(-8), n = 14,733). This same risk allele at ARL15 was also associated with a higher risk of CHD (odds ratio OR = 1.12, P = 8.5x10(-6), n = 22,421) more nominally, an increased risk of T2D (OR = 1.11, P = 3.2x10(-3), n = 10,128), and several metabolic traits. Expression studies in humans indicated that ARL15 is well-expressed in skeletal muscle. These findings identify a novel protein, ARL15, which influences circulating adiponectin levels and may impact upon CHD risk.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a structural heart disease with strong genetic background. Monogenic forms of DCM are observed in families with mutations located mostly in genes encoding structural ...and sarcomeric proteins. However, strong evidence suggests that genetic factors also affect the susceptibility to idiopathic DCM. To identify risk alleles for non-familial forms of DCM, we carried out a case-control association study, genotyping 664 DCM cases and 1,874 population-based healthy controls from Germany using a 50K human cardiovascular disease bead chip covering more than 2,000 genes pre-selected for cardiovascular relevance. After quality control, 30,920 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were tested for association with the disease by logistic regression adjusted for gender, and results were genomic-control corrected. The analysis revealed a significant association between a SNP in HSPB7 gene (rs1739843, minor allele frequency 39%) and idiopathic DCM (p = 1.06 × 10⁻⁶, OR = 0.67 95% CI 0.57-0.79 for the minor allele T). Three more SNPs showed p < 2.21 × 10⁻⁵. De novo genotyping of these four SNPs was done in three independent case-control studies of idiopathic DCM. Association between SNP rs1739843 and DCM was significant in all replication samples: Germany (n =564, n = 981 controls, p = 2.07 × 10⁻³, OR = 0.79 95% CI 0.67-0.92), France 1 (n = 433 cases, n = 395 controls, p =3.73 × 10⁻³, OR = 0.74 95% CI 0.60-0.91), and France 2 (n = 249 cases, n = 380 controls, p = 2.26 × 10⁻⁴, OR = 0.63 95% CI 0.50-0.81). The combined analysis of all four studies including a total of n = 1,910 cases and n = 3,630 controls showed highly significant evidence for association between rs1739843 and idiopathic DCM (p = 5.28 × 10⁻¹³, OR= 0.72 95% CI 0.65-0.78). None of the other three SNPs showed significant results in the replication stage.This finding of the HSPB7 gene from a genetic search for idiopathic DCM using a large SNP panel underscores the influence of common polymorphisms on DCM susceptibility.
Abstract
Telemedicine has been shown to improve the outcome of heart failure (HF) patients in addition to medical and device therapy. We investigate the effectiveness of a comprehensive telehealth ...programme in patients with recent hospitalisation for HF on subsequent HF hospitalisations and mortality compared to usual care in a real-world setting. The telehealth programme consists of daily remote telemonitoring of HF signs/symptoms and regular individualised telecoaching sessions. Between January 2018 and September 2020, 119,715 patients of a German health insurer were hospitalised for HF and were eligible for participation in the programme. Finally, 6065 HF patients at high risk for re-hospitalisation were enroled. Participants were retrospectively compared to a propensity score matched usual care group (
n
= 6065). Median follow-up was 442 days (IQR 309–681). Data from the health insurer was used to evaluate outcomes. After one year, the number of hospitalisations for HF (17.9 vs. 21.8 per 100 patient years,
p
< 0.001), all-cause hospitalisations (129.0 vs. 133.2 per 100 patient years,
p
= 0.015), and the respective days spent in hospital (2.0 vs. 2.6 days per year,
p
< 0.001, and 12.0 vs. 13.4,
p
< 0.001, respectively) were significantly lower in the telehealth than in the usual care group. Moreover, participation in the telehealth programme was related to a significant reduction in all-cause mortality compared to usual care (5.8 vs. 11.0 %,
p
< 0.001). In a real-life setting of ambulatory HF patients at high risk for re-hospitalisation, participation in a comprehensive telehealth programme was related to a reduction of HF hospitalisations and all-cause mortality compared to usual care.
Wild-type transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (wtATTR-CM) is characterized by heart failure, conduction abnormalities and arrhythmias. The incidence of ventricular arrhythmias, particularly ...ventricular tachycardias (VTs), in wtATTR-CM is unclear. With the development of targeted therapies and improved overall prognosis, there is an unmet need to identify patients at high risk for VTs who might benefit from ICD therapy.
Between 2017 and 2022, 72 patients diagnosed with wtATTR-CM were prospectively evaluated for the presence of ventricular arrhythmias using a Holter ECG. VTs were defined as >3 consecutive beats with a heart rate > 100 beats per minute originating from a ventricle.
The incidence of VTs was 44% (n = 32/72) in unselected wtATTR-CM patients. Patients with VT showed significantly more severe left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (septum diameter 21 ± 2.6 vs. 19 ± 3.0 mm,
= 0.006), reduced LV ejection fraction (47 ± 8 vs. 52 ± 8%,
= 0.014) and larger left atria (32 ± 7 vs. 28 ± 6 mm
,
= 0.020), but no differences in cardiac markers such as NTproBNP and troponin. In a multivariable model, LV hypertrophy (LV mass indexed, OR = 1.02 1.00-1.03,
= 0.031), LV end-diastolic diameter (OR = 0.85 0.74-0.98,
= 0.021) and LV end-systolic diameter (OR = 1.19 1.03-1.349,
= 0.092) were predictive for VT occurrence with an area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.76 0.65-0.87.
The incidence of ventricular arrhythmia in wtATTR-CM is high and is associated with an advanced stage of left ventricular disease. Further studies are needed evaluating the role of VTs in predicting sudden cardiac death and the benefit of ICD therapy in wtATTR-CM.
Early repolarization (ER) is a risk marker for sudden cardiac death. Higher risk is associated with horizontal/descending ST-segment ER in the inferior or inferolateral ECG leads. Studies in family ...cohorts have demonstrated substantial heritability for the ER pattern, but genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have failed to identify statistically significant and replicable genetic signals.
We assessed the narrow-sense and common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heritability of ER and ER subtypes using ECG data from 5829 individuals (TwinsUK, BRIGHT and GRAPHIC cohorts). ER prevalence was 8.3%. In 455 monozygous vs 808 dizygous twin pairs, concordances and twin correlations for ER subtypes (except horizontal/descending ST-segment ER) were higher and familial resemblance (except notched ER) was significant. Narrow-sense heritability estimates derived from 1263 female twin pairs using the structural equation program Mx ranged from 0.00–0.47 and common SNP heritability estimates derived from 4009 unrelated individuals of both sexes using Genome-wide Restricted Maximum Likelihood (GREML) ranged from 0.00–0.36, but none were statistically significant.
From our data, ER shows limited genetic predisposition. There appears to be significant environmental influence and these modest narrow-sense and common SNP heritability estimates may explain why previous GWAS have been unsuccessful.
•Cohort studies showed ER was heritable, but GWAS failed to find genetic signals.•We assessed ER and ER subtype heritability using twin studies and genotyping data.•For most ER subtypes, twin concordances and correlations were higher.•But narrow-sense and common SNP heritabilities were not significant.•Limited genetic predisposition may explain why previous GWAS were unsuccessful.
Background: Due to the increase in survival rates for congenital heart disease (CHD) in the last decades, over 90% of patients today reach adulthood. Currently, there are more than 300,000 adults ...with CHD (ACHD) living in Germany. They have an increased need for specialized medical care, since almost all ACHD have chronic heart disease and suffer from specific chronic symptoms, risks, and sequelae. Primary care physicians (PCPs) play a crucial role in referring patients to ACHD specialists or specialized institutions. This cross-sectional study is intended to clarify the real-world care of ACHD from the PCP’s perspective. Methods: This analysis, initiated by the German Heart Centre Munich, was based on a 27-item questionnaire on actual ACHD health care practice in Germany from the PCP’s perspective. Results: In total, 767 questionnaires were considered valid for inclusion. The majority of the PCPs were general practitioners (95.9%), and 84.1% had cared for ACHD during the past year. A majority (69.2%) of the PCPs had cared for patients with simple CHD, while 50.6% and 33.4% had cared for patients with moderate and severe CHD, respectively, in all age groups. PCPs treated almost all typical residual symptoms and sequelae, and advised patients regarding difficult questions, including exercise capacity, pregnancy, genetics, and insurance matters. However, 33.8% of the PCPs did not even know about the existence of certified ACHD specialists or centers. Only 23.9% involved an ACHD-specialized physician in their treatment. In cases of severe cardiac issues, 70.8% of the PCPs referred patients to ACHD-certified centers. Although 52.5% of the PCPs were not sufficiently informed about existing structures, 64.2% rated the current care situation as either “very good” or “good”. Only 26.3% (n = 190) of the responding physicians were aware of patient organizations for ACHD. Conclusions: The present study showed that the majority of PCPs are not informed about the ACHD care structures available in Germany. The need for specialized ACHD follow-up care is largely underestimated, with an urgent need for optimization to reduce morbidity and mortality. For the future, solutions must be developed to integrate PCPs more intensively into the ACHD care network.
The early repolarization (ER) pattern is associated with sudden death and has been shown to be heritable. Its significance when identified in families affected by sudden arrhythmic death syndrome ...(SADS) remains unclear.
We analyzed 12-lead ECGs of 401 first-degree relatives of individuals who had died from SADS. The prevalence of ER patterns was compared with family-clustered controls. ER was more common in SADS family members than in controls (21% versus 8%; odds ratio: 5.14; 95% confidence interval, 3.37-7.84) independent of the presence of a familial cardiac diagnosis. Both ascending and horizontal ER patterns were more common. In addition, ER was investigated for associations with findings from ajmaline provocation (n=332), exercise ECG (n=304), and signal-averaged ECG (n=118) when performed. ER was associated with a trend toward late depolarization, in general was suppressed with exercise and was unaffected by ajmaline. Inferior and horizontal patterns were, however, more likely to persist during exercise. Augmentation of ER with ajmaline was rare.
The ER pattern is more common in SADS family members than controls adjusted in particular for relatedness. The increased prevalence is irrespective of ER subtype and the presence of other inherited arrhythmia syndromes. ER may therefore represent an underlying heritable arrhythmia syndrome or risk factor for sudden death in the context of other cardiac pathology. The differing response of ER subtypes to exercise and ajmaline provocation suggests underlying mechanisms of both abnormal repolarization and depolarization.
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