Abstract

Abstract OnBehalf Constantin Gatterer Introduction Fabry disease (FD) is one of the most common lysosomal storage diseases caused by deficiency of Alpha-Galactosidase A and accumulation of glycosphingolipids in all cells containing lysosomes. Cardiac involvement is characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy, conduction abnormalities and myocardial fibrosis with consecutive cardiomyopathy in late stages. Purpose As the detection of early signs of cardiac involvement is crucial for the initiation of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) or Chaperon therapy, we intended to find early imaging markers. Methods Cardiac MRI (CMR) including Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE), representing fibrosis, and T1-mapping as well as echocardiography with measurement of global longitudinal strain (GLS) were done as part of the regular check-ups for patients with FD. Results The study cohort of 30 FD patients (20-69 years, 53% women) in different stages of disease showed low GLS values already at the time of baseline echocardiography (mean: -17,22%), correlating with the amount of LGE (r = 0,73; p = 0,003) and ejection fraction measured by CMR (CMR-EF; r=-0,74; p = 0,002). After an average follow-up of 39 months (STD 18), GLS values were significantly declined (-15,51 %; p = 0,009) and correlated with T1 times (r = 0,7; p = 0,04), while LGE and CMR-EF did not significantly change compared to baseline. Baseline T1 times correlated negatively with the reduction of GLS (r=-0,7; p = 0,003), while LGE and CMR-EF showed no correlation with the course of GLS. ERT appeared to have no influence on the extend of GLS reduction. Conclusion Low native CMR T1 times, indicating sphingolipid accumulation in the myocardium, seem to represent the beginning of cardiac involvement in FD and might predict the course of GLS. GLS is a sensitive parameter for early detection of cardiac manifestation and disease progression, while LGE and CMR-EF could not recognize slight deterioration of left ventricular function.

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