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HLA-B27-Associated Cardiac Disease
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
TO THE EDITOR:
I read with interest Dr. Bergfeldt's excellent review on the cardiac manifestations of HLA-B27-associated diseases [1]. By using selected studies published from 1936 to 1995, the author presented convincing data in support of HLA-B27-associated heart disease as a clinical entity.
The incidence of cardiac manifestations in ankylosing spondylitis is not clear. Transesophageal echocardiography [2] showed increased echogenicity of the subvalvular portion of the interventricular septum in eight of nine men with ankylosing spondylitis. This may represent fibrosis due to inflammation or obliterative endarteritis, possibly extending from the aortic valve. Asymptomatic cardiac involvement may therefore be common in ankylosing spondylitis. Transesophageal echocardiography could be used as a sensitive research tool to evaluate the development and progression of cardiac disease in ankylosing spondylitis, even in the absence of symptoms.
Jon A. Arnason, MD
UW Health, Portage Community Clinic; Portage, WI 53901
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
- Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
