Professor Zhang Shuyang: Cardiovascular and Rare Heart Disease Specialist
Professor Zhang Shuyang is president of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, a senior cardiologist, professor, doctoral supervisor, and an academic leader in cardiovascular and rare-disease medicine. Her clinical work includes coronary artery disease, hypertension, lipid disorders, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, cardiovascular intervention, and rare conditions such as transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy and inherited heart disease.
International patients can learn more about the hospital, multidisciplinary care, and consultation preparation in our Peking Union Medical College Hospital international patient guide.
Clinical and Academic Focus
- hereditary and acquired cardiomyopathy;
- transthyretin and light-chain cardiac amyloidosis;
- heart failure with preserved or reduced ejection fraction;
- coronary artery disease and vascular intervention;
- hypertension and lipid disorders;
- inherited arrhythmia and cardiomyopathy assessment;
- multisystem rare diseases affecting the heart;
- family screening and genetic counseling; and
- second opinions after delayed or uncertain diagnosis.
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy describes disease of the heart muscle. Major patterns include hypertrophic, dilated, restrictive, arrhythmogenic, and infiltrative cardiomyopathy. Symptoms may include breathlessness, chest discomfort, palpitations, fainting, swelling, fatigue, or reduced exercise tolerance.
Assessment may include electrocardiography, echocardiography, cardiac MRI, rhythm monitoring, blood biomarkers, exercise testing, coronary evaluation, and genetic testing. A diagnosis should combine imaging with clinical and family information rather than rely on one measurement.
Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy
Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, or ATTR-CM, occurs when misfolded transthyretin protein accumulates in the heart. It can cause thickened heart walls, stiffness, heart failure, rhythm disturbance, and conduction disease.
Clues can include bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, spinal stenosis, biceps-tendon rupture, unexplained neuropathy, low blood pressure, intolerance of standard heart-failure medicines, or heart-wall thickening that appears disproportionate to the electrocardiogram.
Evaluation may involve echocardiography, cardiac MRI, bone-tracer scintigraphy, blood and urine testing for monoclonal proteins, genetic testing, and biopsy in selected cases. Light-chain amyloidosis must be excluded because it requires different and often urgent treatment.
Hereditary ATTR and Family Screening
Hereditary ATTR results from a pathogenic variant in the TTR gene. Disease expression varies by variant, age, ancestry, and family, and may affect the heart, nerves, or both.
Genetic testing should be paired with counseling. A positive result in a relative does not necessarily mean current disease, but it can support planned surveillance. Testing children for an adult-onset condition requires careful ethical and specialist review.
Professor Zhang has led research describing the clinical characteristics and prognosis of Chinese patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy.
Heart Failure
Heart failure is a clinical syndrome, not a single disease. It may result from coronary disease, hypertension, valve disease, cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis, arrhythmia, inflammation, or other systemic conditions.
Treatment depends on the cause and heart-failure type and can include medication, rhythm management, coronary or valve intervention, devices, exercise rehabilitation, and management of kidney disease, anemia, sleep apnea, diabetes, and nutrition.
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary disease treatment may involve preventive medication, catheter-based intervention, surgery, or a combination. The plan should consider symptoms, ischemia, coronary anatomy, heart function, diabetes, bleeding risk, and patient goals.
Professor Zhang’s experience includes coronary and peripheral vascular intervention, but an invasive procedure is not automatically required for every narrowing.
Rare Disease Coordination
Rare cardiovascular disease often affects multiple organs and may remain undiagnosed for years. Professor Zhang has led national rare-disease cohort and care initiatives designed to improve diagnosis and connect cardiology with neurology, hematology, genetics, pathology, imaging, and other specialties.
Who May Consider a Consultation?
- patients with unexplained heart-wall thickening or restrictive physiology;
- patients with suspected transthyretin or light-chain cardiac amyloidosis;
- patients with hereditary cardiomyopathy or a family history of sudden death;
- patients with heart failure of uncertain cause;
- patients with symptoms involving both the heart and peripheral nerves;
- patients with recurrent diagnostic disagreement;
- families needing a screening strategy after a genetic finding; or
- patients seeking multidisciplinary review of a rare cardiovascular disease.
Medical Records to Prepare
- a concise symptom and treatment timeline;
- electrocardiograms and ambulatory rhythm-monitoring reports;
- echocardiography with measurements and strain imaging when available;
- cardiac MRI, coronary imaging, and nuclear scans in original DICOM format;
- blood and urine immunofixation and serum free-light-chain results;
- NT-proBNP, troponin, kidney, liver, thyroid, and blood-count results;
- genetic reports with the original variant classification;
- pathology slides and paraffin blocks when biopsy was performed;
- a three-generation family history of heart failure, neuropathy, pacemakers, and sudden death; and
- a complete medication list with response and side effects.
Planning an International Consultation
Chest pain, fainting, severe breathlessness, rapidly worsening swelling, very low blood pressure, or a sustained dangerous rhythm requires immediate local emergency care.
Stable patients should confirm whether original imaging, pathology, and genetic reports can be reviewed. Remote medical-record review requires physician authorization. Final diagnosis and treatment planning may require in-person examination and repeat testing.
How CMCS Can Assist
CMCS – China Medical Concierge Shanghai is an independent medical concierge and health management company, not a hospital. We assist international patients with organizing and translating cardiovascular and genetic records, identifying an appropriate specialist, requesting appointment availability, arranging interpretation, and planning medical travel in China.
Access to Professor Zhang, remote review, admission, genetic testing, or a particular treatment is subject to doctor and hospital approval. CMCS does not guarantee appointments, diagnosis, treatment eligibility, or clinical outcomes.
- Email: contract@medicalsh.com
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Important Note
Doctor titles, clinical roles, testing, treatment availability, and appointment arrangements may change. This profile is based on the supplied verified research document and is for general information only. It does not replace assessment by a qualified cardiovascular team.
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