Idiopathic Cardiomyopathy A Study on the Infectious-Immune Theory as a Cause of the Disease

Based on the clinical observations of some 50 patients with idiopathic cardiomyopathy, an infectious-immune theory for etiology or pathogenesis of the disease was brought up and discussed. Viral antibody titers in the patients suggest a possibility of the previous virus infections in many of the patient. Among many viruses studied Coxsackie B group viruses may be most incriminated. With our current immunofluorescent techniques on the biopsied specimens of the myocardium the viral antigens are failed to be demonstrated in many instances. But this does not eliminate a possibility of previous viral infection no longer reflected by the presence of viral antigen in the myocardium as an etiologic factor. The findings of positive fluorescence in some of the nuclear region in the myocardial cells stained with the FITC-labeled anti-human IgM-globulin appears to support the role of an autoimmune mechanism for pathogenesis in some of the patients with idiopathic cardiomyopathy.