[Congenital heart block and autoantibodies]

Maternal IgG autoantibodies against Ro52 (part of the anti-SSA specificity) are correlated with congenital heart block (CHB). Most cases revert spontaneously and can be monitored by Doppler echocardiography, but fetuses that progress into second-degree block require treatment with, e.g., corticosteroids. A third-degree block is irreversible and necessitates lifelong pacemaking. It may prove beneficial to screen all expectant mothers for anti-Ro52 autoantibodies. Decisions about this will require further studies of the diagnostic performance of the Ro52 autoantibody test.