• Volha Skrahina, Ulrike Grittner, Christian Beetz, Thomas Skripuletz, Martin Juenemann, Heidrun H Krämer, Katrin Hahn, Andreas Rieth, Volker Schaechinger, Monica Patten, Christian Tanislav, Stephan Achenbach, Birgit Assmus, Fabian Knebel, Stefan Gingele, Aliaksandr Skrahin, Jörg Hartkamp, Toni M Förster, Sabine Roesner, Catarina Pereira, and Arndt Rolfs.
• CENTOGENE GmbH, Rostock, Germany.
• Ann. Med. 2021 Dec 1; 53 (1): 178717961787-1796.

BackgroundHereditary Transthyretin-Related Amyloidosis, a clinically heterogeneous autosomal dominant disease caused by pathogenic variants in the TTR gene, is characterized by the deposition of insoluble misfolded protein fibrils. The diagnosis, especially in non-endemic areas, is typically delayed by 4-5 years; a misdiagnosis due to clinical heterogeneity is common. The study objective was to define the prevalence of Hereditary Transthyretin-Related Amyloidosis in patients with polyneuropathy and/or cardiomyopathy of no obvious aetiology.MethodA multicenter observational "Epidemiological analysis for the hereditary Transthyretin-Related AMyloidosis"-TRAM study was performed in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.ResultsA total of 5141 participants were recruited by 50 neurologic and 27 cardiologic specialized centres. Genetic analysis demonstrated a 1.1% Hereditary Transthyretin-Related Amyloidosis positivity rate among patients with polyneuropathy and/or cardiomyopathy of not obvious aetiology. Twenty-one various TTR variants (TTR-positive) were identified. Body Mass Index was lower in the TTR-positive patients as an indicator for the involvement of the autonomic nervous system; the age of onset of clinical manifestations was higher in TTR-positive patients. There were no other genotype-phenotype correlations or the prevalence of specific clinical manifestations in TTR-positive patients.ConclusionsOur data support the fact that Hereditary Transthyretin-Related Amyloidosis is underdiagnosed in polyneuropathy and cardiomyopathy patients. Routine implementation of genetic testing is recommended in patients with unexplained polyneuropathy and/or cardiomyopathy to accelerate the earlier diagnosis and the time-sensitive treatment initiation.KEY MESSAGESMore than 5.000 participants with CM and/or PNP of no obvious aetiology were recruited in the observational "Epidemiological analysis for the hereditary Transthyretin-Related AMyloidosis" TRAM study and screened for pathogenic TTR variants.The study demonstrated >1% of patients with CM and/or PNP of unclear aetiology are positive for a pathogenic TTR variant.Routine genetic testing is recommended in patients with unexplained CM and/or PNP to accelerate the initial diagnosis and timely treatment initiation.

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