Publications by authors named "H E Watkins"
Background: Cardiomyopathies are an important cause of heart failure in Africa yet there are limited data on etiology and clinical phenotypes.
Objectives: The IMHOTEP (African Cardiomyopathy and Myocarditis Registry Program) was designed to systematically collect data on individuals diagnosed with cardiomyopathy living in Africa.
Methods: In this multicenter pilot study, patients (age ≥13 years) were eligible for inclusion if they had a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy or myocarditis.
Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a heterogeneous condition that can lead to atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death in many individuals but mild clinical impact in others. The mechanisms underlying this phenotypic heterogeneity are not well defined. The aim of this study was to use plasma proteomic profiling to help illuminate biomarkers that reflect or inform the heterogeneity observed in HCM.
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- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a diverse heart condition that can lead to severe health issues and traditionally managed through symptom relief and the use of defibrillators to prevent sudden cardiac death.
- There is a recognized need for treatments that modify the disease itself, and recently, new therapies like mavacamten, a myosin inhibitor, have gained regulatory approval.
- Clinical trials for HCM face unique challenges, which include selecting patients based on their genetic and symptom profiles, measuring outcomes effectively, and considering factors like trial duration and sample size when interpreting results.
Myocardial Disarray and Fibrosis across Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Stages Associate with ECG Markers of Arrhythmic Risk.
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- Myocardial disarray, linked to arrhythmia risk, was studied in patients with prehypertrophic sarcomeric variants (SARC+LVH-) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using diffusion tensor cardiac MRI (DT-CMR).
- Results showed reduced diastolic fractional anisotropy (FA) and prolonged corrected JT intervals (JTc) in both patient groups compared to controls, suggesting that both conditions exhibit signs of myocardial disarray.
- The study highlighted that lower FA and higher extracellular volume (ECV) correlate with prolonged repolarization, and the JT interval proves effective in distinguishing SARC+LVH- patients from controls and linking to HCM-related sudden cardiac death risk.