Cardiac amyloidosis : Why Jamaicans should know about this heart condition

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Many Jamaicans know about common forms of heart disease, but how many of us have heard about cardiac amyloidosis? Until it affected my family, I knew nothing about this disease.

In 2015, my father began experiencing unexplained shortness of breath and weight loss. He visited his doctor but the cause of his symptoms was not identified. Later that year, while our family was on vacation in the United States, his condition worsened and he was hospitalised. After several tests, he was diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis. Sadly, he passed away shortly afterwards.

That experience stayed with me and sparked a desire to learn more about the disease. Years later, I began researching cardiac amyloidosis in the hope of understanding it better and helping other Jamaicans become more aware of it.

As part of my research, I contacted Dr Rodney Falk, director of the Cardiac Amyloidosis Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He was the primary physician who treated my father. I also reached out to the Amyloidosis Foundation and the Amyloidosis Research Consortium, both of which provided valuable information and resources that deepened my understanding of the disease.

One aspect of my research that stood out was the connection between cardiac amyloidosis and people of African descent. I learned about the V142I genetic variant, which is linked to a hereditary form of transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis. This variant is more common among people of African and Afro-Caribbean ancestry and may increase the risk of developing a form of amyloidosis that affects the heart. However, having the variant does not necessarily mean a person will develop the disease.

Cardiac amyloidosis occurs when abnormal proteins, known as amyloid, build up in the heart muscle, causing the heart walls to become thick and stiff. This makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood effectively. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and swelling of the legs and ankles.

Because these symptoms often resemble those of other heart conditions, cardiac amyloidosis is frequently misdiagnosed. This has inspired me to launch a cardiac amyloidosis awareness initiative to make information about the disease more accessible to Jamaicans.

My hope is that greater awareness will encourage people experiencing persistent, unexplained symptoms to seek medical advice and ask the right questions about their health.

MADISON BROWN

Founder

Cardiac Amyloidosis

Awareness Initiative