Arrhythmogenic effects of anti-Ro/SSA antibodies on the adult heart: more than expected?

Pietro Enea Lazzerini, Pier Leopoldo Capecchi, Maurizio Acampa, Enrico Selvi, Francesca Guideri, Stefania Bisogno, Pier Carlo Rossi, Mauro Galeazzi, Franco Laghi Pasini

Journal: Autoimmunity reviews 2010;9(1):40-4

PMID: 19285577

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

The arrhythmogenicity of anti-Ro/SSA antibodies for the foetal heart and their crucial role in the development of congenital heart block is now well established, representing a paradigmatic model of passively acquired autoimmunity. Recently, intriguing data suggest that also the adult heart may represent a possible target of anti-Ro/SSA antibody-mediated autoimmune injury. The prolongation of the QTc interval, possibly resulting from a direct inhibitory interaction between the anti-Ro/SSA antibodies and the potassium current I(Kr) in the heart seems the abnormality more frequently observed in adults with anti-Ro/SSA-positive CTD. Although the possibility that anti-Ro/SSA positivity may be considered a risk factor for arrhythmic sudden death in adults has not been demonstrated as yet, preliminary data suggest a relationship among anti-Ro/SSA antibodies, QTc prolongation, and the prevalence of ventricular arrhythmias, also life threatening, in adult patients.

Address: Department of Clinical Medicine and Immunological Sciences, Division of Clinical Immunology, University of Siena, Italy. [email protected]

DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2009.03.002

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MeSH Terms: Adult, Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity, Arrhythmias, Cardiac, Autoantibodies, Autoantigens, Female, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Maternal-Fetal Exchange, Myocardial Contraction, Potassium Channels, Pregnancy, Prognosis, RNA, Small Cytoplasmic, Ribonucleoproteins, Risk Factors, Survival Analysis