Familial clustering of autoimmune diseases in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

In this study, we examined the hypothesis that dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) shares genetic risk factors with other diseases of presumed autoimmune etiology, and, therefore, the same multiple genes in combination with environmental factors lead to numerous different autoimmune diseases. In accordance with this hypothesis, we showed an increased prevalence of autoimmune diseases in first-degree relatives of patients with DCM. Also, T-cell activation, as reflected in high levels of the soluble interleukin-2 receptor, appears to identify patients with DCM with a clustering of autoimmune diseases.

Lichen planus in children: a possible complication of hepatitis B vaccines.

Lichen planus (LP) has been reported as a complication of hepatitis B vaccination in both adults and children. According to published observations, an autoimmune reaction may be triggered by the viral S epitope. In children, LP is uncommon and, because of its atypical clinical presentation, definitive diagnosis may require biopsy.