Should carpal tunnel in both hands cause concern for heart disease? Not by him alone. In the show “The advice of Doctor Kierzek” on ICI, broadcast on October 26, 2026, Dr Gérald Kierzek, doctor, columnist of the Advice of Doctor Kierzek on ICI, explains why this sign can sometimes point towards amyloidosis, especially if it is added to other clues.
Why amyloidosis can hide behind very different signs
Amyloidosis is not just one heart disease. According to the Orphanet factsheet on amyloidosis, it is a group of diseases in which abnormal or misfolded proteins accumulate in the form of deposits in different tissues or organs. Dr. Kierzek emphasizes this misleading aspect: the first signs can appear far from the organ ultimately affected.
“Amylosis is a bit like Arsène Lupine: it changes its appearance, it blurs its tracks, it leaves the first clues far from the place where it will finally end up striking.”
In the column, he describes proteins that “fold crooked,” clump together and form amyloid deposits. When the heart is involved, these deposits can make the heart muscle thicker and stiffer. Concrete consequence: the heart can
fill more difficultwhich can lead to heart failure. The position statement of the European Society of Cardiology also recalls that cardiac amyloidosis remains underdiagnosed.
Bilateral carpal tunnel: a clue, not a diagnosis
The sign that Dr. Kierzek highlights is very precise: carpal tunnel syndrome. on both sideswith nocturnal tingling in the fingers, especially if both hands have been operated on. This point does not mean that carpal tunnel reveals amyloidosis. It becomes more meaningful when it is part of a whole.
The other clues cited in the column are also non-specific, but useful to point out if they combine:
- Nocturnal tingling in both hands, especially with a history of bilateral surgery;
- A rupture of the biceps tendon;
- A narrow lumbar canal, with difficulty walking;
- Shortness of breath upon exertion;
- Swelling legs, a possible sign among the symptoms of heart failure.
The doctor’s reminder is essential to avoid anxiety-provoking shortcuts:
“Any carpal tunnel or heart failure does not mean amyloidosis. »
This distinction is central: there is a possible association between certain orthopedic or neurological signs and transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis, but this does not prove a cause and effect relationship in a given person. Taken in isolation, these signs do not allow the diagnosis of amyloidosis..
When to talk to a doctor and what the assessment can check
Dr Kierzek distinguishes several forms: AL amyloidosis, linked to an abnormality of cells producing antibodies; hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis, linked to a mutation in the TTR gene; and so-called “wild” transthyretin amyloidosis, non-hereditary, mainly observed in elderly men. These forms are not all screened for or treated in the same way.
This is why the right reflex is not self-diagnosis, but medical discussion when several evocative signs accumulateparticularly if there is a cardiac or family context. Dr. Kierzek mentions a blood test, but the diagnosis is not just a simple blood test : the specialized recommendations describe a course which may include blood tests, cardiac imaging, scintigraphy and sometimes biopsy depending on the situation.
The column also mentions free screening days from the Amylose Network. According to information from the Chameleon campaign, they mainly target people over 50 years old presenting several suggestive signs, with varying methods depending on the center. For isolated carpal tunnel, the objective is therefore not to believe oneself sick, but to
bring the pieces of the puzzle together and present them to the doctor if they are repeated or combined.