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Cardiac amyloidosis is a serious and progressive infiltrative disease that is caused by the deposition of amyloid fibrils at the cardiac level. It can be due to rare genetic variants in the hereditary forms or as a consequence of acquired conditions. Thanks to advances in imaging techniques and the possibility of achieving a non-invasive diagnosis, we now know that cardiac amyloidosis is a more frequent disease than traditionally considered. In this position paper the Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial Disease proposes an invasive and non-invasive definition of cardiac amyloidosis, addresses clinical scenarios and situations to suspect the condition and proposes a diagnostic algorithm to aid diagnosis. Furthermore, we also review how to monitor and treat cardiac amyloidosis, in an attempt to bridge the gap between the latest advances in the field and clinical practice., (© European Society of Cardiology 2021 This article has been co-published with permission in European Heart Journal (published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Cardiology) and European Journal of Heart Failure (published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology) These articles are identical except for minor stylistic and spelling differences in keeping with each journal’s style. Either citation can be used when citing this article.)

Cardiac amyloidosis is a serious and progressive infiltrative disease that is caused by the deposition of amyloid fibrils at the cardiac level. It can be due to rare genetic variants in the hereditary forms or as a consequence of acquired conditions. Thanks to advances in imaging techniques and the possibility of achieving a non-invasive diagnosis, we now know that cardiac amyloidosis is a more frequent disease than traditionally considered. In this position paper the Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial Disease proposes an invasive and non-invasive definition of cardiac amyloidosis, addresses clinical scenarios and situations to suspect the condition and proposes a diagnostic algorithm to aid diagnosis. Furthermore, we also review how to monitor and treat cardiac amyloidosis, in an attempt to bridge the gap between the latest advances in the field and clinical practice., (© European Society of Cardiology 2021.)

Aims: Cardiac transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis is an increasingly recognized, progressive, and fatal cardiomyopathy, the natural history of which remains unclear. We sought to establish and validate a new prognostic staging system applicable to patients with both wild-type ATTR (ATTRwt) and hereditary variant ATTR (ATTRv) amyloid cardiomyopathy., Methods and Results: Eight hundred and sixty-nine patients with cardiac ATTR amyloidosis (553 with ATTRwt and 316 with ATTRv) attending the UK National Amyloidosis Centre were stratified into three disease stages at baseline on the basis of cut points in two universally measured biomarkers, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Stage I was defined as NT-proBNP ≤3000 ng/L and eGFR ≥45 ml/min, Stage III was defined as NT-proBNP >3000 ng/L and eGFR <45 ml/min, and the remainder were Stage II. The staging system was validated in a cohort of 318 patients with cardiac ATTR amyloidosis from France. Median survival among 393 (45%) Stage I patients was 69.2 months, 334 (38%) Stage II patients was 46.7 months, and 142 (16%) Stage III patients was 24.1 months (P < 0.0001). After adjusting for age, compared with Stage I, the hazard ratio (HR) for death for Stage II was 2.05 [confidence interval (CI) 1.54-2.72, P < 0.001] and for Stage III was 3.80 (CI 2.73-5.28, P < 0.001). HRs and statistical significance were little altered by transthyretin genotype and were maintained in the validation cohort., Conclusion: This simple, universally applicable staging system stratifies patients with both ATTRwt and ATTRv amyloid cardiomyopathy into prognostic categories. It will be of value in the design of forthcoming clinical trials of novel amyloid-specific therapies.