• Eleonora Mezzetti, Andrea Costantino, Matteo Leoni, Rebecca Pieretti, Marco Di Paolo, Paola Frati, Aniello Maiese, and Vittorio Fineschi.
• Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
• Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 Jul 25; 59 (8).

AbstractAutoimmune heart disease is a non-random condition characterised by immune system-mediated aggression against cardiac tissue. Cardiac changes often exhibit nonspecific features and, if unrecognised, can result in fatal outcomes even among seemingly healthy young individuals. In the absence of reliable medical history, the primary challenge lies in differentiating between the various cardiopathies. Numerous immunohistochemical and genetic studies have endeavoured to characterise distinct types of cardiopathies, facilitating their differentiation during autopsy examinations. However, the presence of a standardised protocol that forensic pathologists can employ to guide their investigations would be beneficial. Hence, this summary aims to present the spectrum of autoimmune cardiopathies, including emerging insights such as SARS-CoV-2-induced cardiopathies, and proposes the utilisation of practical tools, such as blood markers, to aid forensic pathologists in their routine practice.

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