News & Updates

Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy: Tips for early diagnosis and treatment updates

Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a progressive, fatal condition that predominantly affects older adults. The prognosis is poor, with a median overall survival (OS) of 3–5 years. The condition is often underrecognized or misdiagnosed due to low disease awareness and fragmented knowledge among healthcare professionals across specialties. This article provides practical advice for early diagnosis and treatment, with a focus on 5-year OS data from the ATTR-ACT trial of tafamidis and key recommendations from the 2023 American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidelines.

Targeting IL-5 in hypereosinophilic diseases: From bench to bedside

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare eosinophilic autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs. The lack of disease awareness and heterogeneous nature of clinical manifestations have made diagnosis and management of EGPA challenging. At Advances in Medicine (AIM) 2024, Professor Hiromichi Tamaki, a rheumatologist from St. Luke’s International Hospital in Japan, discussed how EGPA is diagnosed, presented real-world evidence on mepolizumab (an anti–interleukin [IL]-5 therapy) in EGPA and illustrated mepolizumab’s clinical benefits through several patient cases.

Early diagnosis and management of AL amyloidosis: An underdiagnosed multiorgan disease

Light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is a progressive, underdiagnosed disease with multiorgan involvement, most notably of the heart, kidneys, and liver. Nearly half of the patients consult ≥4 physicians before receiving correct diagnosis. At the Hong Kong Society of Haematology Annual Scientific Meeting (HKSH ASM) 2024, Professor Morie Gertz of the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, US, shared insights into establishing an early and accurate diagnosis and discussed the ANDROMEDA trial, which led to the first US FDA–approved treatment – daratumumab in combination with bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (D-VCd).

Achieving low-risk status in PAH with prostacyclin receptor agonist–based triple therapy

A 72-year-old female with a history of well-controlled hypertension presented with unexplained dyspnoea and reduced exercise tolerance for the past 2–3 years.

Robust evidence for fenofibrate in patients with metabolic syndrome on statins

Dapagliflozin DELIVERs across full HF spectrum regardless of LVEF

The selective, oral sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor dapagliflozin reduces the risk of cardiovascular (CV) death or worsening heart failure (HF) in patients with HF and mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFmrEF or HFpEF) in the phase III DELIVER* trial, touted as the largest and most inclusive thus far in this patient group.

NOACs in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation with multimorbidity: Where does apixaban stand?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice, affecting millions of people globally. Stroke is one of its devastating complications, with the risk steeply increasing with advancing age. Additionally, AF is associated with more than a tripling of the risk of systemic embolic (SE) events. [J Am Heart Assoc 2020;9:e016724]