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Reply to ‘Cardioimmunology of arrhythmias: the role of autoimmune and inflammatory cardiac channelopathies’

Nature Reviews Immunology volume 19, page 65 (2019)Cite this article

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We thank Pietro Enea Lazzerini, Franco Laghi-Pasini, Mohamed Boutjdir and Pier Leopoldo Capecchi for their correspondence on our Review (Cardioimmunology: the immune system in cardiac homeostasis and disease. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 18, 733–744 (2018))1, which highlights the emerging interactions between inflammation and cardiac conduction disorders (Cardioimmunology of arrhythmias: the role of autoimmune and inflammatory cardiac channelopathies. Nat. Rev. Immunol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-018-0098-z (2018))2.

Owing to the broader scope of our Review1 on general cardioimmunology and to space restrictions, we limited our discussion to emerging mechanisms related to the participation of immune cells and the effects of cytokines in conduction disorders. In their response, Lazzerini and colleagues mention that rhythm disorders may also occur as a result of autoimmunity, as autoreactive antibodies can target ion channels in cardiomyocytes2. We appreciate this comment and would like to add several further areas that equally deserve attention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Systems Biology and Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Filip K. Swirski & Matthias Nahrendorf

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  1. Filip K. Swirski
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  2. Matthias Nahrendorf
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Correspondence to Filip K. Swirski or Matthias Nahrendorf.

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Swirski, F.K., Nahrendorf, M. Reply to ‘Cardioimmunology of arrhythmias: the role of autoimmune and inflammatory cardiac channelopathies’. Nat Rev Immunol 19, 65 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-018-0099-y

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