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HCM is a condition where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. It affects 1 in 250 people and is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death. The thickening is often caused by mutations in genes related to the heart’s muscle fibres, and over time can lead to scarring (fibrosis), heart failure, or even death.
The genetic roots of HCM have been understood for years, but we are yet to understand why the heart gets so scarred. The new study suggests that part of the answer lies in the body’s immune response.
The immune system’s surprising role
When researchers examined the hearts of deceased HCM patients and animal models with the disease, they found that immune cells had gathered in scarred areas of the heart, particularly in later stages of the disease.
‘These cells, usually known for fighting infections, were playing complex roles in either enhancing or limiting inflammation and scarring,’ said the Radcliffe Department of Medicine’s Ying-Jie Wang, first author of the paper.
‘In particular, we found that immune cells called macrophages, and other myeloid cells were highly active in diseased hearts, but another type of immune cell, called regulatory T cells (or Tregs), appeared to help limit the fibrosis and inflammation.’
Read the full story on the Radcliffe Department of Medicine website.