Cardiac Amyloidosis Due to Transthyretin Protein

Importance: Systemic amyloidosis from transthyretin (ATTR) protein is the most common type of amyloidosis that causes cardiomyopathy. Observations: Transthyretin (TTR) protein transports thyroxine (thyroid hormone) and retinol (vitamin A) and is synthesized predominantly by the liver. When the TTR protein misfolds, it can form amyloid fibrils that deposit in the heart causing heart failure, heart conduction block, or arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation. The biological processes by which amyloid fibrils form are incompletely understood but are associated with aging and, in some patients, affected by inherited variants in the TTR genetic sequence. ATTR amyloidosis results from misfolded TTR protein…

• P
  Pfizer
• A
  AstraZeneca
• AP
  Alexion Pharmaceuticals
• AP
  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
• NI
  National Institutes of Health
• NH
  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute