What is hereditary ATTR (hATTR) amyloidosis?

What is hereditary ATTR (hATTR) amyloidosis?

hATTR amyloidosis is a rare and rapidly progressive condition caused by a variant, or change, in the transthyretin (TTR) gene. This change in the TTR gene may also be referred to as a mutation.

  • If one parent has hATTR amyloidosis, each child will have a 50% chance of inheriting the genetic variant that causes the condition
  • A family member may inherit the TTR gene variant, but having the variant does not necessarily mean they will develop hATTR amyloidosis
  • The age that symptoms appear ranges from the mid-20s to mid-60s
  • hATTR amyloidosis is often misdiagnosed because its symptoms resemble those of other conditions
  • If your doctor suspects that you have hATTR amyloidosis, they may order further tests to make a diagnosis. Some common tests includea:
    • Genetic testing
    • Tissue biopsy

aThis is not a complete list of tests that can help diagnose hATTR amyloidosis

  • There are more than 120 gene variants known to be associated with hATTR amyloidosis
  • It is more common for certain ethnicities to be at risk for hATTR amyloidosis, including people of African, Brazilian, Irish, Japanese, Portuguese, and Swedish descent. It’s important to learn about your genetic history because it may help determine your risk for hATTR amyloidosis
  • The 3 most common genetic variants that can cause hATTR amyloidosis in the United States are:
    • V122I: more common in people of African descent
    • T60A: more common in people of Irish descent
    • V30M: more common in people of Japanese and Portuguese descent
  • It can be difficult to come to terms with a diagnosis of hATTR amyloidosis, and you may have questions about the disease
  • It’s important to know that you’re not alone. There are resources available to help you understand your diagnosis

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What are the symptoms of hATTR amyloidosis?

hATTR amyloidosis can cause symptoms that affect several parts of the body, such as the nerves, heart, and digestive system, which can worsen quickly if left untreated.

Nerve damage that affects sensation, movement, strength, the digestive system, and other bodily functions may be referred to as polyneuropathy.

Choose below to see:

Symptoms of hATTR amyloidosis
Symptoms of
polyneuropathy
Symptoms related to nerves in hands, feet, arms, and legs
  • Burning pain
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Decreased reflexes
  • Difficulty walking
  • Temperature sensitivity loss
  • Tingling and/or numbness
  • Weakness
Symptoms related to the digestive system
  • Diarrhea
  • Feeling full quickly
  • Nausea
  • Severe constipation
  • Unintentional weight loss
  • Vomiting
Symptoms related to the heart
  • Abnormal heart rhythms and palpitations (atrial fibrillation) 
  • Fatigue
  • Leg swelling (edema)
  • Shortness of breath
Symptoms related to other bodily functions
  • Abnormal sweating
  • Difficulty urinating
  • Dizziness upon standing
  • Recurrent urinary tract infections
  • Sexual dysfunction

Other symptoms of hATTR amyloidosis include:

  • Blurred or spotty vision
  • Glaucoma
  • Floaters in eyes
  • Kidney dysfunction

This is not a complete list of symptoms that may be experienced with hATTR amyloidosis. You may not experience all of these symptoms or experience them at the same time.

Symptoms related to nerves in hands, feet, arms, and legs
  • Burning pain
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Decreased reflexes
  • Difficulty walking
  • Temperature sensitivity loss
  • Tingling and/or numbness
  • Weakness
Symptoms related to the digestive system
  • Diarrhea
  • Feeling full quickly
  • Nausea
  • Severe constipation
  • Unintentional weight loss
  • Vomiting
Symptoms related to the heart
  • Abnormal heart rhythms and palpitations (atrial fibrillation) 
  • Fatigue
  • Leg swelling (edema)
  • Shortness of breath
Additional symptoms
  • Abnormal sweating
  • Difficulty urinating
  • Dizziness upon standing
  • Recurrent urinary tract infections
  • Sexual dysfunction

Other symptoms of hATTR amyloidosis include:

  • Blurred or spotty vision
  • Glaucoma
  • Floaters in eyes
  • Kidney dysfunction

This is not a complete list of symptoms that may be experienced with hATTR amyloidosis. You may not experience all of these symptoms or experience them at the same time.

AMVUTTRA® does not treat all of the symptoms of hATTR amyloidosis.

Up next Learn how AMVUTTRA works

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What are the most important things I should know about AMVUTTRA® (vutrisiran)?

AMVUTTRA can cause low vitamin A levels

Treatment with AMVUTTRA lowers the amount of vitamin A in your blood. Your doctor will tell you to take a vitamin A supplement every day. You should not take more than the amount of vitamin A recommended by your doctor.  

Low vitamin A levels can affect vision. If you have problems with your vision (e.g., night blindness) while taking AMVUTTRA, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may refer you to an eye specialist.

What are the common side effects of AMVUTTRA?

The most common side effects of AMVUTTRA were pain in the arms or legs, pain in the joints, shortness of breath, and low vitamin A levels.

These are not all the possible side effects of AMVUTTRA. Talk to your doctor about side effects that you experience. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1‑800‑FDA‑1088.

For additional information about AMVUTTRA, please see the full Prescribing Information.

Indications

What is AMVUTTRA?

AMVUTTRA is a prescription medicine that treats the:

  • cardiomyopathy of wild-type or hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR‑CM) in adults to reduce heart-related death, hospital stays and urgent visits.
  • polyneuropathy caused by hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (hATTR‑PN) in adults.

For additional information about AMVUTTRA, please see the full Prescribing Information.

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