Infantile complete heart block associated with maternal Ro(SS-A) ribonucleoprotein autoantibodies: report of two cases.

Two cases of congenital complete heart block arising during pregnancy were observed in association with a circulating maternal autoantibody to the soluble ribonucleoprotein Ro(SS-A). Neither mother had clinical evidence of Sjögren's syndrome or systemic lupus erythematosus usually associated with anti-Ro. However, both had a previous history of first-trimester abortion and laboratory evidence of autoimmunity, and one gave a history of sialadenitis. Maternal anti-Ro antibodies may be predictive of infantile heart block when present in pregnant women with overt or suspected multisystem autoimmune disease.