To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Autoimmune Response May Be Linked To Congestive Heart Failure URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/E2872.htm Doctor's Guide February 9, 1999
DALLAS, TX -- Feb. 9, 1999 -- A new study links an abnormality in the immune system to some forms of congestive heart failure (CHF), a finding that may have important implications for how the disease is treated, say researchers in today's issue of the journal Circulation. The researchers, located in Germany, said their study is the first to show that the immune system in individuals with CHF produces antibodies programmed to attack heart tissue. CHF, the fastest growing form of heart disease, is a chronic condition in which a heart muscle becomes damaged by coronary heart disease including heart attacks. In a study of 104 patients, the researchers found that 26 percent of those with dilated cardiomyopathy -- congestive heart failure not caused by coronary heart disease – had autoantibodies attacking a specific region of the heart called the beta-andrenergic receptors. The autoantibodies stimulated the heart to beat too rapidly. In contrast, only 10 percent of people with the most common form of CHF, caused by heart attack and coronary heart disease, had autoantibodies. Only one percent of the 108 healthy individuals without CHF or other diseases had the autoantibodies. Fritz Boege, M.D., head of the department of clinical chemistry at Medizinische Poliklinik, and co-author of the study, said this research might explain why drugs called beta-blockers -- which act on the beta-andrenergic receptors to slow the heart's beating -- are effective in many patients with CHF. The beta-blockers used to treat heart failure act directly on these receptors, which are sites on the cells that act as gatekeepers directing the entry or binding of other molecules to the cells. "Individuals with heart failure make extra adrenaline, a hormone that helps the heart pump faster," said Roland Jahns, M.D., of the department of cardiology at same clinic. "The binding of adrenaline to the beta-receptors makes the heart beat even faster and contract more strongly. The autoantibodies seem to prolong the active state of the receptors. They stimulate the receptor, which enhances the effect of adrenaline." Researchers found that in dilated cardiomyopathy, the hearts of those who had the autoantibodies pumped less blood compared to those who did not. "The constant beta-receptor activity leads to a vicious cycle of overdrive wearing out the heart muscle," Jahns said. CHF can cause shortness of breath and extreme limitations in physical activity. With the aging population, understanding the mechanisms of the disease becomes more important every year. About 4.6 million Americans have the disease. Related Links: Circulation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.