Diagnosis and Management of Cardiovascular Involvement in Friedreich Ataxia

Emanuele Monda, Michele Lioncino, Marta Rubino, Silvia Passantino, Federica Verrillo, Martina Caiazza, Annapaola Cirillo, Adelaide Fusco, Francesco Di Fraia, Fabio Fimiani, Federica Amodio, Nunzia Borrelli, Alfredo Mauriello, Francesco Natale, Gioacchino Scarano, Francesca Girolami, Silvia Favilli, Giuseppe Limongelli; Heart Failure Clinics, Volume 18, Issue 1, 2022, Pages 31-37, doi:10.1016/j.hfc.2021.07.001. 

Cardiac involvement represents a common disorder in Friedreich ataxia and is responsible for premature death, particularly in early-onset cases. No specific treatments are available for Friedreich ataxia cardiomyopathy. However, gene therapy and stem cells–based therapy might be available as future therapeutic options.