title: Immunoadsorption therapy in dilated cardiomyopathy.
abstract: Dilated cardiomyopathy is a common myocardial disease characterized by ventricular chamber enlargement and systolic dysfunction that result in heart failure. In addition to genetic predisposition, viral infection and myocardial inflammation play a causal role in the disease process of dilated cardiomyopathy. Experimental and clinical studies suggest that activation of the humoral immune system, with production of circulating cardiac autoantibodies, plays an important functional role in the development and progression of cardiac dysfunction in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Small open-controlled studies showed that removal of circulating antibodies by immunoadsorption results in improvement of cardiac function and decrease in myocardial inflammation. At present, immunoadsorption is an experimental treatment option for improvement of cardiac function - therapy that calls for confirmation by a placebo-controlled multicenter study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine B, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beug
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dörr
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D056724:Immunity, Humoral / Q000276:immunology*; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies
keywords: cardiac antibodies; dilated cardiomyopathy; humoral immune system; immunoadsorption; immunomodulation; myocardial inflammation