Study Status: Active, not recruiting
Recruit Status: Active, not recruiting
Study Type: Observational
Official Title: Inflammatory/Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Is There a Link to Autoimmune Diseases? TP9a of the KNHI Associated to the DZHK
Brief Summary: In a hitherto ill-defined proportion of patients with inflammatory/familial cardiomyopathy, the phenotype dilative cardiomyopathy (DCM) is assumed to be the endstage of a multifactorial etiopathogenetic pathophysiology. Precipitating factors include enhanced autoimmunity, predisposition for viral infections, environmental factors in addition to a specific 'genetic background' of the individual patient. It is unresolved, whether the susceptibility to immunologically mediated myocardial damage reflects the presence of genetic risk factors shared by other autoimmune diseases, or is cardio-specific with individual predisposing factors. Aims of the project are the search for a genetic link or oredisposition to autoimmune diseases in patients with familial / inflammatory DCM.