Treatment for Fatal Heart Condition Found

A breakthrough discovery by researchers at the University of Leeds could provide a mechanism to prevent a potentially fatal heart condition. Researchers have found that it is possible to arrest the progression of cardiac hypertrophy by increasing a naturally occurring body protein.

Cardiac hypertrophy is a common condition that is often caused by high blood pressure. It can also be the result of a genetic predisposition. The condition leads to an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle and can lead to heart failure, arrhythmias and sudden death.

Currently one in 500 people in the UK and the US are affected by the disease. The manifestation and severity of symptoms of the condition varies widely with some people suffering from breathlessness, fatigue and chest pain and others remaining largely asymptomatic.

Death is the only indication of the disease in patients who don’t display any symptoms. As a result the scale of the problem is not fully known. Cardiac hypertrophy is the most common cause of sudden death in athletes because hypertrophic hearts are not able to fully cope with intense physical activity.

The study was conducted by Dr. Lezanne Ooi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Faculty of Biological Sciences. She found that if the level of a naturally occurring protein is increased in the body, it is possible to arrest the progression of cardiac hypertrophy.

ANP and BNP, two naturally occurring proteins in the human body, are at high levels in foetal hearts and the hearts of babies and children. However as a person matures, these levels start dropping. Levels of these two proteins however become abnormally high in patients with cardiac hypertrophy.

Dr. Ooi found that when the level of a third natural protein – REST is increased in the body, it halts the increase of these two proteins that cause cardiac hypertrophy. The finding is extremely important as for the first time it provides a method of possibly treating the actual cause of heart hypertrophy rather than its symptoms.

“This is a significant discovery because whilst the symptoms can be managed, the cause of heart hypertrophy cannot yet be treated. This research provides a first step in the search for a possible treatment,” said Dr Ooi.

“The challenge is now to find a therapy that controls the source of the problem on an ongoing basis. If a way can now be found to translate this research into a therapeutic application, our findings will have an enormous impact on individuals suffering from the condition,” she added.

The Experimental Biology Conference held in Washington DC in May recognised Dr. Ooi’s work on cardiac hypertrophy and also presented her with the postdoctoral award from the American Association of Anatomists for her findings.

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