Immunoadsorption in Dilated Cardiomyopathy

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Abstract
The prognosis for patients suffering from advanced stages of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is poor. Recent studies have shown that immunoadsorption (IA) may represent an effective alternative therapeutic approach for other kinds of autoimmune diseases with circulating autoantibodies. The objective of this pilot study was to ascertain the short‐term hemodynamic effects of IA in patients with idiopathic DCM and circulating autoantibodies. Our study included 9 patients with circulating β1‐adrenoreceptor antibodies who suffered from idiopathic DCM as well as severe heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction −1/ m−2, p < 0.01, and from 24.0 ± 7.4 to 35.9 ± 10.3 ml/m2, p < 0.05, respectively. In addition to drug therapy, IA may represent a promising alternative therapeutic possibility for hemodynamic stabilization of patients with severe idiopathic DCM.