OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of disease-specific autoantibodies in patients with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc). METHODS: Sera from 180 patients with lcSSc were analyzed for antinuclear antibody (ANA). Clinical characteristics were compared in the presence or absence of specific autoantibodies. RESULTS: SSc-specific antibodies were detected in 135 patients (75%). Associations were found between anticentromere antibody and age at lcSSc diagnosis, telangiectasia, reduced creatinine clearance, and selective reduction in DLCO, and between antitopoisomerase-I and pulmonary fibrosis. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients with lcSSc belong to distinctive serologic subsets, potentially with prognostic significance.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of disease-specific autoantibodies in patients with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc). METHODS: Sera from 180 patients with lcSSc were analyzed for antinuclear antibody (ANA). Clinical characteristics were compared in the presence or absence of specific autoantibodies. RESULTS: SSc-specific antibodies were detected in 135 patients (75%). Associations were found between anticentromere antibody and age at lcSSc diagnosis, telangiectasia, reduced creatinine clearance, and selective reduction in DLCO, and between antitopoisomerase-I and pulmonary fibrosis. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients with lcSSc belong to distinctive serologic subsets, potentially with prognostic significance.
Authors: Rudolf Mierau; Pia Moinzadeh; Gabriela Riemekasten; Inga Melchers; Michael Meurer; Frank Reichenberger; Michael Buslau; Margitta Worm; Norbert Blank; Rüdiger Hein; Ulf Müller-Ladner; Annegret Kuhn; Cord Sunderkötter; Aaron Juche; Christiane Pfeiffer; Christoph Fiehn; Michael Sticherling; Percy Lehmann; Rudolf Stadler; Eckhard Schulze-Lohoff; Cornelia Seitz; Ivan Foeldvari; Thomas Krieg; Ekkehard Genth; Nicolas Hunzelmann Journal: Arthritis Res Ther Date: 2011-10-21 Impact factor: 5.156