An interview with Prof. Jack Grzybowski, head of the Cardiomyopathy Unit at the National Institute of Cardiology.
Prof. Jacek Grzybowski: we need a drug program for patients with transthyretin amyloidosis
Published July 20, 2023 11:54
- Transthyretin amyloidosis occupies the heart in virtually all patients. It is a rare disease that is a rare cause of heart failure, a disease that is very common in the population.
- Patients find it difficult to get a proper diagnosis in a short period of time, and the disease progresses.
- For several years we have had non-invasive diagnostic capabilities, which has greatly facilitated the possibility of diagnosing this disease, but provided that we look for it.
- Doctors are often unaware that unusual symptoms, characteristic of many heart diseases, should direct us to suspect this rare disease.
- We have drugs with proven efficacy in treating heart failure, but they do not work well in amyloidosis. They may even be harmful because they lower blood pressure in patients who already have blood pressure lowered due to the underlying disease.
- We have already had a causal treatment option for this disease (tafamidis megluminate) for several years. Poland lacks a drug program.
