Amyloid cardiomyopathy: a hidden heart failure cause that is often misdiagnosed.

BACKGROUND

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a very common condition, especially in the elderly, characterized by dyspnea, orthopnea, nocturnal paroxysmal dyspnea, and peripheral edema.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND INTERVENTION: We report the case of a 76-year-old with CHF symptoms for the last 3 months. The ECG and transthoracic echocardiogram were suggestive of CHF due to amyloid cardiomyopathy. After cardiac MRI, a positive Congo red staining of subcutaneous fat aspiration and a negative genetic testing for mutant transthyretin, senile amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTRw) was expected.

CONCLUSION

Cardiac amyloidosis is remarkably underdiagnosed. Mostly, the treatment is supportive and differs from other typical causes of CHF, and thus, a high index of suspicion is required.