In the Netherlands ≈15% of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and ≈10% arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) patients carry a single (founder) mutation in the gene encoding Phospholamban, PLN R14del. Analogous to other inherited cardiomyopathies, the natural course of the disease is age-related (age-related penetrance); after a presymptomatic phase of variable length many PLN R14del-carriers progress to overt disease, and are diagnosed with either DCM or ARVC. PLN is a regulator of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a) pump in cardiac muscle and thereby important for maintaining Ca2+ homeostasis. Cardiac fibrosis appears to be an early manifestation of disease. The investigators hypothesize that treatment of presymptomatic PLN R14del-carriers with eplerenone, which by virtue of its mineralocorticoid(aldosterone)-blocking properties is a strong antifibrotic agent, reduces disease progression and postpones onset of overt disease.
Phospholamban (PLN) R14del mutation carriers may develop dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and/or arrhythmmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). Analogous to other inherited cardiomyopathies, the natural course of the disease is age-related (age-related penetrance); after a presymptomatic phase of variable length many PLN R14del-carriers progress to overt disease, and are diagnosed with either DCM or ARVC. PLN is a regulator of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a) pump in cardiac muscle and thereby important for maintaining Ca2+ homeostasis. Cardiac fibrosis appears to be an early manifestation of disease. The investigators hypothesize that treatment of presymptomatic PLN R14del-carriers with eplerenone, which by virtue of its mineralocorticoid(aldosterone)-blocking properties is a strong antifibrotic agent, reduces disease progression and postpones onset of overt disease.