Abstract
Background: Myocarditis may predispose to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Familial data indicate a potential genetic susceptibility shared with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). We present the first large-scale genotype-phenotype study of adults with acute myocarditis. Methods: A cohort comprising 336 consecutive patients with acute myocarditis was enrolled in London and Maastricht. All participants underwent targeted DNA sequencing for well-characterised cardiomyopathy-associated genes. The burden of rare protein altering variants (PAV) in ACM genes, DCM genes, and TTN specifically, were compared with local healthy controls sequenced on the same platform (n=1053). Case ascertainment was assessed against national hospital admission data. Results: We identified rare protein-altering variants in 23% of cases compared to 16% in controls (Δ+6.8%; p=0.021), with rare truncating variants (tv) in 6% of cases compared to <1% of controls ((Δ+5%; p=0.0097). In London (n=230; median left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 63%), which was representative of national myocarditis admissions, 4.8% of cases carried rare tv, particularly within ACM genes (3% cases vs 0% controls; odds ratio 8.2; p=0.001). This was predominantly driven by desmoplakin (DSP)-tv in patients with normal LVEF. In Maastricht (n=106; median LVEF 30%), rare tv in DCM genes were enriched, particularly TTN-tv found in 7% (all with LVEF<50%) compared to 1% in controls (OR 3.6; p=0.0116). During a median follow-up of 1.9 years, all-cause mortality was greatest in those with a DCM variant (18% vs 4% with no variant; OR 5.0; p=0.004). Conclusion: We identified enrichment of cardiomyopathy gene variants in acute myocarditis patients, dominated by DSP-tv in those with normal LVEF and TTN-tv in those with reduced LVEF. Incorporation of genetic testing may be beneficial to identify such high-risk individuals and guide family screening in acute myocarditis patients.
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