8.4 ARTERIAL COMPLIANCE AND CAROTID ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN APOLIPOPROTEIN A-I AMYLOIDOSIS (LEU75PRO)

Background: Hereditary amyloidosis are late-onset autosomal dominant disorders characterized by amyloid deposition in various tissues. Among them, Apolipoprotein A-I amyloidosis (Leu75Pro) is a rare autosomal dominant condition in which renal, hepatic, and testicular involvement has been demonstrated.No data are available about vascular alterations in this condition.Aim of the study was to evaluate arterial stiffness,assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV)and carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT),evaluated by ultrasound, in patients with Apolipoprotein A-I amyloidosis (APO AI). Patients: In 104 patients with APO AI(mean age 52±16 years,56 F) and in 104 subjects matched for age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP), PWV and IMT were measured. Results: By definition no differences for age, sex, BMI, BP, heart rate were observed. PWV was significantly higher in patients with APO AI than controls (11.5±2.9 and 10.7±2.3,p< 0.05), even after adjusting for cholesterol, creatinine, mean BP and heart rate measured during PWV assessment. In patients with APO AI the prevalence of increased arterial stiffness (defined as PWV>12m/sec) was significantly greater than in controls (31% vs 17%, p