A blood test focusing on a specific protein called hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) could help doctors diagnose transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) and light chain amyloidosis (AL) much earlier, while also giving important clues about the severity of the condition and expected patient survival, according to a recent study published in the journal JACC: Advances.
In ATTR-CM and AL — two types of cardiac amyloidosis — abnormal proteins build up in the heart, making it stiff and less able to pump blood properly and eventually leading to heart failure. Because the symptoms of cardiac amyloidosis are similar to those seen in other diseases leading to heart failure, many patients get misdiagnosed or go through long delays before receiving the right diagnosis. Those delays can be dangerous because treatment works best when started early.
In the new study, the research team looked at blood samples from more than 100 people. This included patients with the two main forms of cardiac amyloidosis, people with regular heart failure and healthy individuals.
They found that patients with cardiac amyloidosis had much higher levels of HGF in their blood than either healthy people or patients who had heart failure without amyloidosis.
Based on this finding, “HGF is a potential screening tool to reduce diagnostic delay,” the researchers said.
Read more about ATTR-CM testing and diagnosis
The study also found that patients with higher HGF levels had worse heart function and a greater chance of dying sooner. This suggests that HGF could help doctors better plan treatment based on a patient’s disease severity.
More research is needed to better understand why HGF levels go up in these patients. The researchers also acknowledged that the amount of HGF in the blood may not fully show what’s happening inside the heart muscle itself in people with cardiac amyloidosis.
Although more research is needed, the researchers believe this test could be a valuable supplement to traditional tests.
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