THIS natural supplement can prevent a transplant in heart failure cases
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally. These diseases claim an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In many extreme cases, such as
heart failure
, a transplant is the only option. Considering it is a serious surgery and comes at a high cost, it often puts the patients in great financial stress. However, researchers have now found that simply taking a
supplement
might be all that is needed for certain patients with heart failure to recover. Yes, that's right, no surgery required.
The researchers from Osaka University found that a
natural supplement
can significantly improve the survival in patients with a rare
heart disease
. The study, published in
Nature Cardiovascular Research
, found that
tricaprin
, a natural dietary supplement, can improve long-term survival and recovery from heart failure in patients with triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy (TGCV).
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What is TGCV?
Triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy (TGCV) is a rare cardiovascular disorder. This new type of
heart disease
is primarily reported in patients carrying certain genetic mutations. It results from an impaired ability of the heart and smooth muscle cells to break down triglycerides, which are a type of fat. Triglyceride accumulation in cells causes structural and functional damage in the heart and blood vessels. This leads to clogged arteries and weakened heart muscles, which may cause debilitating symptoms and eventually heart failure, which requires a
heart transplant
.
The tricaprin supplement, however, could be a breakthrough to treat this without a transplant.
Through a series of experiments, researchers have figured out how to diagnose the disease and developed a treatment that improves both disease symptoms and prognosis. 'Our previous research on the effect of tricaprin on patients with TGCV was very promising, but this time we decided to study how long the positive effects of the drug held up,' lead author of the study Ken-ichi Hirano said in a statement.
For this, the researchers analyzed data from 22 patients across 12 hospitals who were treated with tricaprin and compared them with 190 untreated patients. To ensure accuracy, 81 of the control patients were matched with the treated group based on similar health profiles.
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'Not only did the positive effects on patient symptoms continue, but the function of the heart muscle improved and the structural changes that had developed were reversed as well,' Ken-ichi Hirano, the principal investigator for the Japan TGCV study group, said.
All the patients initially had heart failure, but those treated with tricaprin had much better 3 and 5-year survival rates (both 100%) than the control group (78.6% and 68.1%). Several patients who had positive effects with tricaprin were on hemodialysis. These patients have a very poor prognosis without tricaprin.
'Spreading awareness of this disease to achieve early diagnosis and treatment offers patients the best chance for recovery,' Ken-ichi Hirano asserted.
The study is based on the data from Japanese patients, and the researchers are planning to carry it out in those from other ethnicities in the next step.
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