A vital role for complement in heart disease

TY - JOUR

T1 - A vital role for complement in heart disease

AU - Lappegård, Knut T

AU - Garred, Peter

AU - Jonasson, Lena

AU - Espevik, Terje

AU - Aukrust, Pål

AU - Yndestad, Arne

AU - Mollnes, Tom E

AU - Hovland, Anders

N1 - Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2014/10

Y1 - 2014/10

N2 - Heart diseases are common and significant contributors to worldwide mortality and morbidity. During recent years complement mediated inflammation has been shown to be an important player in a variety of heart diseases. Despite some negative results from clinical trials using complement inhibitors, emerging evidence points to an association between the complement system and heart diseases. Thus, complement seems to be important in coronary heart disease as well as in heart failure, where several studies underscore the prognostic importance of complement activation. Furthermore, patients with atrial fibrillation often share risk factors both with coronary heart disease and heart failure, and there is some evidence implicating complement activation in atrial fibrillation. Moreover, Chagas heart disease, a protozoal infection, is an important cause of heart failure in Latin America, and the complement system is crucial for the protozoa-host interaction. Thus, complement activation appears to be involved in the pathophysiology of a diverse range of cardiac conditions. Determination of the exact role of complement in the various heart diseases will hopefully help to identify patients that might benefit from therapeutic complement intervention.

AB - Heart diseases are common and significant contributors to worldwide mortality and morbidity. During recent years complement mediated inflammation has been shown to be an important player in a variety of heart diseases. Despite some negative results from clinical trials using complement inhibitors, emerging evidence points to an association between the complement system and heart diseases. Thus, complement seems to be important in coronary heart disease as well as in heart failure, where several studies underscore the prognostic importance of complement activation. Furthermore, patients with atrial fibrillation often share risk factors both with coronary heart disease and heart failure, and there is some evidence implicating complement activation in atrial fibrillation. Moreover, Chagas heart disease, a protozoal infection, is an important cause of heart failure in Latin America, and the complement system is crucial for the protozoa-host interaction. Thus, complement activation appears to be involved in the pathophysiology of a diverse range of cardiac conditions. Determination of the exact role of complement in the various heart diseases will hopefully help to identify patients that might benefit from therapeutic complement intervention.

KW - Animals

KW - Complement System Proteins

KW - Heart Diseases

KW - Humans

U2 - 10.1016/j.molimm.2014.06.036

DO - 10.1016/j.molimm.2014.06.036

M3 - Review

C2 - 25037633

SN - 0161-5890

VL - 61

SP - 126

EP - 134

JO - Molecular Immunology

JF - Molecular Immunology

IS - 2

ER -