title: Anticardiac Antibodies in Patients with Chronic Pericardial Effusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic pericardial effusion may be challenging in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Specific laboratory parameters predicting the frequency and severity of recurrences after initial drainage of pericardial effusion are lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pericardial fluid (PF) and serum (SE) samples from 30 patients with chronic pericardial effusion (PE) who underwent pericardiocentesis and pericardioscopically guided pericardial biopsy were compared with SE and PF samples from 26 control patients. The levels of antimyolemmal (AMLA) and antifibrillary antibodies (AFA) in PE and SE from patients with pericardial effusion as well as PF and SE from controls were determined and compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AMLAs and AFAs in PF and SE were significantly higher in patients with chronic pericardial effusion than in the control group (AMLAs: p = 0,01 for PF and p = 0,004 for serum; AFAs: p < 0,001 for PF and p = 0,003 for serum). Patients with recurrence of PE within 3 months after pericardiocentesis had significantly higher levels of AMLAs in SE (p = 0,029) than patients without recurrence of PE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The identification of elevated anticardiac antibodies in PE and SE indicates increased immunological reactivity in chronic pericardial effusion. High titer serum levels of AMLAs also correlate with recurrence of pericardial effusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Philipps University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karatolios
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Philipps University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pankuweit
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Philipps University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Philipps University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ruppert
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Philipps University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maisch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery; D020519:Pericardiocentesis; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies