Novocardia™ Cardiologist Co-Authors JAMA Study on Familial Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Dr. Javier Jimenez of My Cardiologist is a researcher with a national consortium studying DCM, a heart muscle disease that's a leading cause of heart transplantation

BOSTON, June 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Novocardia, a value-based cardiovascular disease care platform, congratulates Dr. Javier Jimenez, an advanced heart failure and cardiac transplant specialist with My Cardiologist, on the publication of groundbreaking new research on dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a heart muscle disease that affects an estimated 1 in 250 people*. 

Jimenez and his colleagues from 25 leading heart failure and heart transplant centers determined that 30 percent of patients with DCM of unknown cause (idiopathic) also had a close family member with the disease. 

The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) **, found that idiopathic DCM was even more likely to run in Black families, with nearly 40 percent having a first-degree relative with the disease. 

"This study has the potential to change the practice of medicine," said Jimenez, MD, Ph.D., FACC, a study co-author. "Now that we know how common it is for the disease to run in families, it allows us to recommend screening. With that, we can identify the disease early on, which can give us an advantage in treating it to prevent progression."

In addition to his research activities, Jimenez sees patients at My Cardiologist, his practice in South Miami, where he runs an advanced heart failure and heart transplant clinic. My Cardiologist joined Novocardia as a partner in January 2022. 

"We are proud to partner with physicians like Dr. Jimenez, who are conducting important research to understand the causes of serious heart conditions such as idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy," said Novocardia CEO Dan Blumenthal, MD, MBA. "Identifying patients at risk for DCM could present tremendous opportunities for interventions to preserve heart muscle and quality of life and reduce associated costs over the long-term." 

Dilated cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart's left ventricle becomes enlarged, making it harder for the heart to pump blood throughout the body. DCM can occur at any age, although it is often asymptomatic until the later stages.

The DCM Precision Medicine Study enrolled 1,220 adults with DCM and 1,693 of their first-degree relatives. About 44 percent were women, 43 percent were Black, and 8 percent were Hispanic. Led by investigators at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine, the research team used mathematical modeling to determine familial risk. 

"A highlight of this study is that it included very substantial diversity, including female probands and Black and Hispanic probands," Jimenez said. A "proband" is the person who is the starting point for a study on hereditary disease. 

The DCM Consortium is planning additional studies, including a genetic analysis expected by the end of 2022 that could improve DCM screening among extended families. Future research will include how best to treat "pre-DCM" to halt progression and stave off complications. 

"Providing information about risk will help patients and their family members make informed decisions about their healthcare," Jimenez said. "This is precision medicine for cardiovascular disease."  

The consortium is funded by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a supplemental grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute. 

Founded in 2020, Novocardia is on a mission to transform the delivery of cardiovascular care for all by building the national cardiovascular network of choice for high-quality, high-value care. Novocardia is committed to putting cardiologists, and their patients, at the center of care by investing in our partner practices, deploying purpose-built data and analytics tools to improve patient outcomes, and enabling our partners to transition more successfully to value-based care. To learn more about Novocardia, please visit www.novocardiahealth.com.

Founded in 1960 by Dr. Bernard Silverstein, My Cardiologist is dedicated to providing excellence in cardiac care to all patients, striving to make state-of-the-art technology accessible. Additionally, our doctors and staff pride themselves on delivering respectful and individualized care to each person, continuing the tradition of superior and personalized patient care. To learn more about My Cardiologist, please visit www.mycardiologist.com.

*Source: American College of Cardiology, acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/ten-points-to-remember/2021/06/28/18/23/understanding-the-genetics-of-adult

**Source: JAMA, Feb. 1, 2022, jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2788528

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SOURCE Novocardia