BACKGROUND: Dilated cardiomyopathy is a devastating disease associated with poor
outcomes. Although the etiology of this disease remains largely unknown, so-called
“idiopathic” dilated cardiomyopathy (iDCM) is associated with evidence of an autoimmune
process that may be contributing to the pathophysiology of this disease. Indeed, iDCM
shares many characteristics with other autoimmune diseases, including an association with
systemic and organ-specific inflammation, an association with viral infections, a genetic …