[Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis patients in internal medicine : a 10-year retrospective study].

Abstract

Introduction: Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis is a pathology increasingly encountered in all hospital departments, including internal medicine. The aim of our study is to describe the characteristics and care pathway of patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis in internal medicine and to show that the number of patients diagnosed is increasing.

Methods: Descriptive, retrospective, non-interventional, single-center study at Strasbourg University Hospitals (HUS). Study period over 10 years from January 2013 to December 2023. Inclusion of adult patients diagnosed with transthyretin amyloidosis following hospitalization in internal medicine. Exclusion of patients with a type of amyloidosis other than transthyretin amyloidosis after medical record review.

Results: We were able to include 44 patients, 66 % of whom were men, with a mean age of 83.7 years at diagnosis. The mean time to diagnosis was 37 months. The most common comorbidities, besides heart failure (67 %), were atrial fibrillation (91 %), hypertension (80 %) and anemia (64 %). The mean time from diagnosis to first rehospitalization was 9 months, with an average of four recurrent hospitalizations until death, which took an average of 22 months. There was twice more cases diagnosed after versus before 2018.

Conclusion: Our study was able to profile the typical internal medicine inpatient with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis and find significantly more patients diagnosed over the last 5 years. In order to better assess the impact of this disease, a prospective study would enable us to be more precise and limit biases.