New heart condition quickly requires transplant

"A newly recognized type of heart disease, or "cardiomyopathy," caused by an X-linked mutation in the LAMP2 gene, is rapidly progressive, leading to cardiac death in young patients, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The cardiomyopathy in the disorder is known to be clinically similar to severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but the natural history and genetic patterns associated with the disease was unclear, lead author Dr. Barry J. Maroon, from the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, and colleagues note. In their study, the researchers examined the natural course and outcomes of LAMP2 cardiomyopathy in six boys and one girl, ranging in age from 7 to 17 years." - Reuters