Immune Mechanisms of Cardiac Disease

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Abstract
The heart shares with other organs a susceptibility to immune-mediated injury. However, the unique clinical expressions of myocardial inflammation have only recently received investigative scrutiny. It is now clear that numerous cardiac diseases characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells within the myocardium result from immune sensitization to endogenous or exogenous cardiac antigens. The consequent reaction of cardiac myocytes to immune injury can range from reversible modulation of their electrical and mechanical capabilities to cell death.Immune Pathways of InjuryEffector mechanisms of immune-mediated injury are traditionally divided into humoral and cellular types. Humoral immunity requires recognition of an epitope . . .