Preclinical alterations in cardiac energetics amongst sarcomere mutation carriers in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Background Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterised by reduced myocardial tissue oxygenation (assessed using blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) CMR imaging) during stress, as well as reduced myocardial perfusion reserve (MPRI) due to coronary microvascular dysfunction. In HCM gene carriers without the HCM phenotype, it has been suggested that only oxygenation is impaired. [1] It remains unclear whether this relates to early cardiac remodelling/ diastolic dysfunction, or whether oxygen consumption is intrinsically altered with sarcomere mutations. We sought to assess the BOLD signal change during vasodilator stress in a homogenous group of MYPBC3 positive HCM patients (some with clinical HCM, and some with no phenotypic features of HCM), and normal controls.