title: Role of calcium channels in congenital heart block.
abstract: Congenital heart block (CHB) is a conduction abnormality that affects hearts of foetuses and/or newborn to mothers with autoantibodies reactive with the intracellular soluble ribonucleoproteins 48-kD La, 52-kD Ro and 60-kD Ro. CHB carries substantial mortality and morbidity, with more than 60% of affected children requiring lifelong pacemakers. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the pathogenesis of CHB. These can be grouped under three main hypotheses: Apoptosis, Serotoninergic and Ca channel hypothesis. Here, we discuss these hypotheses and provide recent scientific thinking that will most likely dominate the future of this field of research.
authors.affiliation: VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karnabi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boutjdir
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006327:Heart Block / Q000151:congenital* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000276:immunology; D008954:Models, Biological; D011247:Pregnancy; D044422:Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT4 / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D044422:Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT4