A simple supplement improves survival in patients with a new type of heart disease

Heart transplant is a frightening and serious surgery, with high costs, but for patients with heart failure it can be the only option for healing. Now, however, a multi-institutional research team led by Osaka University has found that taking a supplement could be all that is necessary for certain patients with cardiac failure to recover-no surgery is required.

In a study published in Cardiovascular research of natureThe research team found that the tricaprin, a natural supplement, can improve long -term survival and recovery from heart failure to patients with cardiomyovascocopathy warehouse (TGCV).

TGCV is a new type of heart disease; It results from a affected ability of the heart and smooth muscle cells to break down triglycerides, which are a type of fat. The accumulation of triglycerides in the cells causes the structural and functional deterioration of the heart and blood vessels. These changes result in clogged arteries and weakened heart muscles, which can cause debilitating symptoms and, finally, heart failure, requiring heart transplantation.

Fortunately, through a series of experiments, the researchers identified the diagnosis of the disease and developed a treatment that improves both the symptoms of the disease and the prognosis.

“Our previous research on the effect of tricaprine on patients with TGCV was very promising, but this time we decided to study how long the positive effects of the drug have maintained,” says the main author of the Ken -ich Hiran study.

In order to achieve this, the researchers scored patients diagnosed with the condition in the Japanese registers and compared the survival rates between those who received tricapr and those who did not. The study involved 22 patients from 12 different hospitals who received tricapr and 190 checks. The researchers studied the effect of tricaprine on the decomposition of triglycerides; In order to overcome the differences between the compared groups, 81 of the 190 checks were suitable with the tricapr group according to their basic characteristics for comparing survival rates.

“Not only do the positive effects on the patient’s symptoms continued, but the function of the cardiac muscle has improved, and the structural changes that have developed have been reversed,” says Ken -ich Hirano, the main investigator of the TGCV study group in Japan.

All registered patients initially had heart failure; However, the survival rates of 3 and 5 years were significantly higher in the tricapr group (100% and 100%), compared to the control group (78.6% and 68.1% respectively). Another favorable result was that several patients who had positive effects with tricaprine were on hemodialysis. These patients have a very weak prognosis without tricaprine.

“The spread of awareness of this disease to get the diagnosis and early treatment gives patients the best chance of recovery,” says Ken -ich Hirano.

These findings of the study are based on data from Japanese patients. As a next step, studies on patients with other ethnicities should be carried out to support the evidence in favor of this promising medicine. This new research gives the hope that patients not only support, but also recover their hearts from debilitating heart failure.