Also, in some rare cases, the congenital heart block was linked with viral infections or treatment with specific medications. Maternal autoimmune disease
In the autoimmune-mediated congenital heart block, autoantibodies are passively transferred through the placenta during gestation. The mother might be asymptomatic during or after pregnancy but she is usually positive to anti-Ro\SSA or anti-La\SSB antibodies. In this case, the fetuss heart is normally developed and shows no structural malformations. Just like other autoimmune diseases, the autoimmune CHB shows signs of damage resulted from the autoantibodies attacking the normal tissue of the body, inflammation and fibrosis in the fetal heart tissue are the most common ones, mainly in the atrioventricular node. These antibodies lead to irreversible injuries in the atrioventricular node which heavily compromise the efficiency of the electrical conduction system, and this results in around 18% mortality rate and 70% of the live-born kids will need early pacemaker implantation. Anti-Ro\SSA autoantibody
This autoantibody is found in the serum of the majority of kids with autoimmune CHB, and therefore it is the one mostly linked with this disease. It attacks the proteins Ro52 and Ro60 in the antigen Ro\SSA in the fetal heart tissue.
Chondrocalcinosis or cartilage calcification is calcification (accumulation of calcium salts) in hyaline cartilage and/or fibrocartilage. It can be seen on radiography. Causes
Buildup of calcium phosphate in the ankle joints has been found in about 50% of the general population, and may be associated with osteoarthritis.Another common cause of chondrocalcinosis is calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease (CPPD). CPPD is estimated to affect 4% to 7% of the adult populations of Europe and the United States. Previous studies have overestimated the prevalence by simply estimating the prevalence of chondrocalcinosis regardless of cause.A magnesium deficiency may cause chondrocalcinosis, and magnesium supplementation may reduce or alleviate symptoms. In some cases, arthritis from injury can cause chondrocalcinosis. Other causes of chondrocalcinosis include:
Hypercalcaemia, especially when caused by hyperparathyroidism
Arthritis
Pseudogout
Wilson disease
Hemochromatosis
Ochronosis
Hypophosphatasia
Hypothyroidism
Hyperoxalemia
Acromegaly
Gitelman syndrome

Diagnosis
Chondrocalcinosis can be visualized on projectional radiography, CT scan, MRI, US, and nuclear medicine. CT scans and MRIs show calcific masses (usually within the ligamentum flavum or joint capsule), however radiography is more successful. At ultrasound, chondrocalcinosis may be depicted as echogenic foci with no acoustic shadow within the hyaline cartilage. As with most conditions, chondrocalcinosis can present with similarity to other diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis and gout. == References ==