Auto--antibodies to DNA in the sera of Nigerians attending a rheumatic diseases clinic.

The presence of auto-antibodies to DNA in the sera of 199 Nigerians: 46 with osteoarthritis, 16 with rheumatoid arthritis, 5 with SLE, 18 with chronic hepatitis, 24 peptic ulcer disease and 90 blood donors were assayed using a haemagglutination method. The positivity rates of auto-antibodies to DNA in these subjects were comparable [X2 = 1.56, P > 0.10]. The results of this study shows that the presence of auto-antibodies to DNA is not a reliable diagnostic index for auto-immune phenomena.