Key Information
WebMD recently interviewed Lily Stern, MDexternal link, opens in a new tab, co-director of the Cardiac Amyloid Program in the Smidt Heart Instituteexternal link, opens in a new tab at Cedars-Sinai, about how advocating for oneself can help patients speed the often-lengthy path to diagnosing hereditary transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (hATTR-CM).
This genetic condition can be difficult to identify because its early symptoms are common signs of many other conditions: shortness of breath, fatigue, lightheadedness, irregular or rapid heartbeat, carpal tunnel syndrome, and neuropathy—numbness or tingling in the hands and feet.
Beyond the overlap, Stern told WebMD another challenge is that symptoms can appear to be unrelated and surface long before heart problems develop.