Anti-Ro/SSA antibodies and cardiac rhythm disturbances: Present and future perspectives

•Certain antibodies could be the pathogenic basis of cases of heart block.•Immunosuppressive therapy may have a role in preventing the need for pacing.•These antibodies have also been linked to prolongation in cardiac repolarization.

Several case reports, small case series, and original research papers have recently suggested that the action of certain auto-antibodies related to connective tissue diseases may be responsible for significant cardiac rhythm disturbances in adults. The relationship between anti-Ro/SSA antibodies and congenital complete atrioventricular block is well recognized in the fetal heart. Herein we review the emerging evidences of the link to increased levels of anti-Ro/SSA antibodies with rhythm disorders of unknown origin in the adult. Confirmation of this distinct etiology may eventually be the basis for new therapies.