Organ-specific cardiac autoantibodies were present in 26% of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, significantly higher than in normal subjects (3.5%, p<0.0001) or other cardiac diseases (1%).
Observational (n=514)
Are organ-specific circulating cardiac autoantibodies more frequent in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy compared to normal subjects and those with other cardiac diseases?
Organ-specific circulating cardiac autoantibodies are significantly more common in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, particularly in early and less symptomatic stages, suggesting an autoimmune component to the disease.
Absolute Event Rate: 26% vs 3.5%
p-value: p=<0.0001
Novel organ-specific circulating cardiac autoantibodies in dilated cardiomyopathy CAFORIO A ; BONIFACIO E; STEWART JT; NEGLIA D; PARODI O; BOTTAZZO GF; MCKENNA WJ 1990 Abstract To determine whether organ-specific cardiac autoantibodies are present in dilated cardiomyopathy, indirect immunofluorescence on human heart and skeletal muscle was used to test sera from 200 normal subjects and from 65 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, 41 with chronic heart failure due to myocardial infarction and 208 with other cardiac disease. Three immunofiuorescence patterns were observed: diffuse cytoplasmic on cardiac tissue only (organ-specific), fine striational on cardiac and, to a lesser extent, skeletal muscle (cross-reactive 1) and broad striational on both cardiac and skeletal muscle (cross-reactive 2). Cardiac specificity of the cytoplasmic pattern was confirmed by absorption studies with homogenates of human atrium, skeletal made and rat liver. Organ-specific cardiac antibodies (IgG; titer range 1 10 to 1 80) were more frequent in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (17 26% of 65) than in those with other cardiac disease (2 1% of 208, p < 0.0001) or heart failure (0 0% of 41, p < 0.001) or in normal subjects (7 3.5% of 200, p < 0.0001). Organ-specific cardiac antibodies were more common in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and in those with fewer symptoms (8 of 15 in New York Heart Association functional class I versus 9 of 50 in classes II to IV, p < 0.01) and more recent (<2 years) onset of disease (9 of 19 versus 8 of 46, p < 0.02). Conversely, cross-reactive antibodies 1 and 2 were detected in a similar proportion of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (7 11 % of 65), other cardiac disease (15 7% of 208) or heart failure (1 2% of 41) and normal subjects (11 5.5% of 200, p = NS). The presence of organ-specific cardiac antibodies provides a novel serologic marker of cardiac autoimmunity in dilated cardiomyopathy. © 1990.
Caforio et al. (1990) conducted an observational in Dilated cardiomyopathy (n=514). Organ-specific cardiac autoantibodies were present in 26% of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, significantly higher than in normal subjects (3.5%, p<0.0001) or other cardiac diseases (1%).