Research
Autoantibodies against cardiac troponin I in patients presenting with myocarditis
Authors:
Akira Matsumori ,
Department of Cardiology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, JP
Toshio Shimada,
Shizuoka General Hospital, Shizuoka, JP
Hiroaki Hattori,
Department of Advanced Medical Technology and Development, BML Inc., Saitama, JP
Miho Shimada,
Department of Cardiology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, JP
Jay W. Mason
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, US
Abstract
Background: Autoantibodies against cardiac troponin I (cTnI) play an important role in the pathogenesis of experimental cardiomyopathy. We developed a new method to measure anti-cardiac troponin I autoantibody (Anti-cTnIAAB) in patients with myocarditis with or without HCV infection.
Methods: Patients with heart failure for up to 2 years, without a distinct cause, were enrolled in the Myocarditis Treatment Trial between 1986 and 1990. Frozen blood samples were available from 1315 to 2233 enrolled patients. Anti-cTnIAAB was determined by a two-step immunoassay.
Results: The mean (±SEM) value of serum Anti-cTnIAAB titer in the 1315 patients was 0.067 ± 0.003 arbitrary unit (AU), significantly higher than in 1115 healthy volunteers (0.053 ± 0.002 AU, P < 0.01). The mean Anti-cTnIAAB titer in 88 patients whose endomyocardial biopsies (EMB) satisfied the diagnostic Dallas criteria was 0.086 ± 0.010 AU, versus 0.066 ± 0.004 AU in 1227 patients whose EMB did not satisfy these criteria. The mean Anti-cTnIAAB in both groups was significantly higher than that measured in the healthy volunteers (P < 0.01). The mean AnticTnIAAB titer in the 88 patients with Dallas criteria-confirmed myocarditis tended to be higher than in the other 1227 patients. Among the 88 patients with Dallas criteria-confirmed myocarditis, the mean Anti-cTnIAAB titer in 5 patients infected with the hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) was significantly higher (0.146 ± 0.047 AU) than in 83 patients without HCV infection (0.082 ± 0.010 AU, P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Elevated autoantibody titers against cTnI were detected in patients with myocarditis, and were higher in HCV-infected patients. The presence of Anti-cTnIAAB might correlate with inflammation and viral infection of the heart.
How to Cite:
Matsumori A, Shimada T, Hattori H, Shimada M, Mason JW. Autoantibodies against cardiac troponin I in patients presenting with myocarditis. Global Heart. 2011;6(2):41–6. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvdpc.2011.02.004
Published on
01 Jun 2011.
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