title: Autoimmune heart disease: role of sex hormones and autoantibodies in disease pathogenesis.
abstract: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and autoimmune diseases (ADs) are the first and third highest causes of death in the USA, respectively. Men have an increased incidence of the majority of CVDs, including atherosclerosis, myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure. By contrast, nearly 80% of all ADs occur in women. However, in one category of ADs, rheumatic diseases, CVD is the main cause of death. Factors that link rheumatic ADs to CVD are inflammation and the presence of autoantibodies. In this review we will examine recent findings regarding sex differences in the immunopathogenesis of CVD and ADs, explore possible reasons for the increased occurrence of CVD within rheumatic ADs and discuss whether autoantibodies, including rheumatoid factor, could be involved in disease pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. dfairwea@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: DeLisa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fairweather
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Petri
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Coronado
authors.forename: Leslie T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000276:immunology*; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D058408:Th1-Th2 Balance; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D018836:Inflammation Mediators