[Influence of clonal hematopoiesis on non-hematological diseases and aging processes]

Abstract

The occurrence of clonal hematopoiesis, caused by acquired somatic mutations of leukemia-associated genes in blood stem cells is very common in the population and increases with age. Besides an increased risk of developing myeloid neoplasms, an unexpected causal relationship between clonal hematopoiesis and cardiovascular diseases was recently discovered. Clonal hematopoiesis presents as a new independent and strong risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart failure, aortic valve stenosis and stroke, which from a medical perspective should no longer be ignored. Worldwide intensive research for associations of clonal hematopoiesis with other age-related and infectious diseases identifies increasingly more illnesses that are influenced by the presence of mutated blood cells. Current data describe a fatal vicious circle, initiated by somatic blood cell mutations, which accelerate the progression of associated diseases in a proinflammatory way and feed-back to hematopoiesis leading to a further enlargement of the mutated blood cell clone. First experimental treatment approaches to break this vicious circle are discussed here. The causal relationship and the underlying pathomechanisms are now at the center of research interest in order to rapidly establish risk stratification and therapeutic measures for the benefit of patients in the near future.

Keywords: Aortic valve stenosis; Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular diseases; Heart failure; Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive.