Heart failure & cardiomyopathies

Skeletal Muscle Involvement in Patients With Truncations of Titin and Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy

JACC Heart FailPublished Cross-sectional study

Authors' conclusion

Mild skeletal muscle involvement was prevalent in patients with TTNtv. The phenotype was characterized by an increased muscle fat fraction and excessive accumulation of glycogen, possibly due to reduced autophagic flux.

Study context

Population
Participants with truncating titin variants (19 with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)); 11 women, mean age 51 ± 15 years, LVEF 45% ± 10%25 TTNtv participants
Exposure
TTNtv vs healthy controls and non-TTNtv genetic DCM controls
  • TTNtvn = Twenty-five
  • Healthy controlsn = 25reference
  • Non-TTNtv genetic DCMn = 7reference
Outcome
Skeletal muscle fat fraction by MRI

Main finding

As reported in the abstract

Skeletal muscle fat fraction (MRI)
Linear mixed effects model
Difference, % (95% CI)P value
TTNtvvs Healthy controls
2.5(1.4–3.7)
P < 0.001
TTNtvvs Non-TTNtv genetic DCM
1.5(0.2–2.8)
P = 0.025

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Further findings

Muscle strength (dynamometry)

Muscle strength within 1 SD of normal values

Myopathic features on muscle biopsy (21 participants biopsied)

Myopathic features, incl. central nuclei, in 13 of 21 biopsied
13 (62%)

Electron microscopy

Well-ordered Z-lines and T-tubuli; uneven, discontinuous M-lines; excessive glycogen depositions flanked by autophagosomes, lysosomes and abnormal mitochondria with mitophagy

Original publication

Skeletal Muscle Involvement in Patients With Truncations of Titin and Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy. JACC Heart Fail. Published 22 November 2023. doi:10.1016/j.jchf.2023.10.010

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