Abstract
Background
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an important cause of sudden death in young adults. On the basis of histopathological findings its pathogenesis may involve both a genetic origin and an inflammatory process. Bartonella henselae may cause endomyocarditis and was detected in myocardium from a young male who succumbed to sudden cardiac death.
Hypothesis
We hypothesized that chronic infection with Bartonella henselae could contribute to the pathogenesis of ARVC.
Methods
We investigated sera from 49 patients with ARVC for IgG antibodies to Bartonella henselae. In this study, 58 Swiss blood donors tested by the same method served as controls.
Results
Six patients with ARVC (12%) had positive (>1:256) IgG titres in the immunofluorescence test with Bartonella henselae. In contrast, only 1 elevated titre was found in 58 controls (p ≤ 0.05). Interestingly, all patients with increased titres had no familial occurrence of ARVC.
Conclusions
Further studies in larger patient cohorts seem justified to investigate a possible causal link between chronic Bartonella henselae and ARVC, in particular its sporadic (nonfamilial) form. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, Bartonella, myocarditis
Full Text
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