OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of autoimmune diseases in first-degree relatives of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and to compare those results with control families in order to identify patterns of autoimmune diseases in relatives. METHODS: A retrospective case-control postal questionnaire survey was performed in France to recruit patients with SSc belonging to an association of patients with SSc and unrelated age-matched and sex-matched controls. Each participant was asked to self-report on the existence of autoimmune diseases in their first-degree relatives. The prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the families of patients with SSc was compared with the corresponding prevalence in the families of controls. RESULTS: A total of 121 families out of 373 (32.4%) with a member having SSc reported at least 1 autoimmune disease in 1 or more first-degree relatives. The most frequent autoimmune diseases in SSc families when adjusted for family size were autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD; 4.9%), rheumatoid arthritis (4.1%), psoriasis (3.9%), and type 1 diabetes mellitus (2.9%). Compared with control families, AITD and connective tissue diseases (SSc, systemic lupus erythematosus, or Sjögren's syndrome) were more likely to occur in families with SSc (p = 0.01 and p = 0.01, respectively), with OR of 3.20 (95% CI 1.25-8.18) and 5.20 (95% CI 1.22-21.8). In contrast, inflammatory bowel disease was less likely to occur within families with SSc (p = 0.02, OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.11-0.80). In addition, the coexistence of more than 1 autoimmune disease in the index SSc case was associated with familial aggregation of autoimmune diseases. CONCLUSION: Our results show that autoimmune diseases cluster within families of patients with SSc. This supports the notion that these diseases might arise on a shared genetic basis underlying several autoimmune phenotypes.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of autoimmune diseases in first-degree relatives of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and to compare those results with control families in order to identify patterns of autoimmune diseases in relatives. METHODS: A retrospective case-control postal questionnaire survey was performed in France to recruit patients with SSc belonging to an association of patients with SSc and unrelated age-matched and sex-matched controls. Each participant was asked to self-report on the existence of autoimmune diseases in their first-degree relatives. The prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the families of patients with SSc was compared with the corresponding prevalence in the families of controls. RESULTS: A total of 121 families out of 373 (32.4%) with a member having SSc reported at least 1 autoimmune disease in 1 or more first-degree relatives. The most frequent autoimmune diseases in SSc families when adjusted for family size were autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD; 4.9%), rheumatoid arthritis (4.1%), psoriasis (3.9%), and type 1 diabetes mellitus (2.9%). Compared with control families, AITD and connective tissue diseases (SSc, systemic lupus erythematosus, or Sjögren's syndrome) were more likely to occur in families with SSc (p = 0.01 and p = 0.01, respectively), with OR of 3.20 (95% CI 1.25-8.18) and 5.20 (95% CI 1.22-21.8). In contrast, inflammatory bowel disease was less likely to occur within families with SSc (p = 0.02, OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.11-0.80). In addition, the coexistence of more than 1 autoimmune disease in the index SSc case was associated with familial aggregation of autoimmune diseases. CONCLUSION: Our results show that autoimmune diseases cluster within families of patients with SSc. This supports the notion that these diseases might arise on a shared genetic basis underlying several autoimmune phenotypes.
Authors: David González-Serna; Eguzkine Ochoa; Elena López-Isac; Antonio Julià; Frauke Degenhardt; Norberto Ortego-Centeno; Timothy R D J Radstake; Andre Franke; Sara Marsal; Maureen D Mayes; Javier Martín; Ana Márquez Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2020-02-05 Impact factor: 4.379