Free Cardiology CME

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) is an ultrarare genetic disease characterized by the buildup of chylomicrons – the largest lipoprotein – as a result of loss of function of one of five genes responsible for lipolysis. Its estimated prevalence is one in one million people and affects patients of all ages. The clinical presentation of FCS varies but includes patients with triglyceride (TG) levels over 10 times and up to a hundred-fold times the upper limit of normal. Complications include eruptive xanthomas on the trunk and extremities, lipemia retinalis, recurrent abdominal pain, hepatosplenomegaly, fatigue, cognitive disorientation, organ failure, necrosis, and pancreatitis, the latter of which is associated with a five- to 30-percent mortality rate in patients affected by FCS. Unfortunately, due in part to the rarity of the condition, patients are commonly undiagnosed, even by endocrinologists.

Target Audience:
HCPs including: endocrinologists, cardiologists, and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and those who otherwise have an interest in or commonly care for or clinically encounter patients with FCS.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR) is a progressive, multisystem, life-threatening disorder characterized by the extracellular deposition of misfolded, insoluble amyloid fibrils. The role of the TTR protein is to transport thyroxine and retinol-binding proteins, and it is vital for cognition, nerve regeneration, and axonal growth. TTR itself is innately amyloidogenic even without the presence of genetic mutations, which may account for wild-type ATTR (wtATTR), while a hereditary form of ATTR (hATTR) may be passed to offspring through autosomal dominant inheritance. Left untreated, the average life expectancy of ATTR is 3 to 15 years from symptom onset.

Target Audience:
The following HCPs: neurologists, cardiologists, and hematologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with ATTR.

Target Audience: Cardiologists and PCPs; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in Cardiology and Internal Medicine, with overlaps in Endocrinology and Hematology depending on the course topic.