Epigallocatechin-3-gallate tolerability and impact on survival in a cohort of patients with transthyretin-related cardiac amyloidosis. A single-center retrospective study

Intern Emerg Med. 2018 Sep;13(6):873-880. doi: 10.1007/s11739-018-1887-x. Epub 2018 Jun 7.

Abstract

Transthyretin-related (ATTR) cardiac amyloidosis is currently lacking a disease-modifying therapy. Despite demonstration of effectiveness in halting amyloid deposition, no study focused on epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) impact on patient survival. We sought to explore prognostic impact of EGCG in a cohort of lone cardiac ATTR patients. From the Florence Tuscan Regional Amyloid Centre database, we retrospectively selected ATTR patients treated with EGCG (675mg daily dose) for a minimum of 9 months, between March 2013 and December 2016. As a control group, we selected ATTR patients who received guideline-directed medical therapy alone. End point of the study was time to all cause death or cardiac transplantation. Sixty-five patients (30 treatment groups vs. 35 control groups) had a median follow-up of 691 days. There were no differences in baseline characteristics between groups. Five deaths occurred in EGCG group versus eight in control group; one patient underwent effective cardiac transplantation in EGCG group. There was no difference in survival estimates between EGCG and control group (60 ± 15% vs. 61 ± 12%, p = 0.276). EGCG was well tolerated, without major safety concerns. In a real-world cohort of ATTR patients with lone cardiac involvement, EGCG was a safe therapeutic option, but was not associated with survival improvement.

Keywords: Cardiac amyloid; Epigallocatechin-3-gallate; Survival; Transthyretin amyloid.

MeSH terms

  • Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial / drug therapy*
  • Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial / prevention & control
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Catechin / administration & dosage
  • Catechin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Italy
  • Male
  • Neuroprotective Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Neuroprotective Agents
  • Catechin
  • epigallocatechin gallate

Supplementary concepts

  • Amyloidosis, Hereditary, Transthyretin-Related