Case control study of antibodies to ENA in progressive systemic sclerosis patients.

Sixteen antibody to extractable nuclear antigen (anti-ENA) (+) and 16 anti-ENA(-) progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma, PS) patients were matched for disease duration, age, and sex in a case control study of antibody to ENA (anti-ENA) in scleroderma. Anti-ENA (+) PSS patients more frequently fulfill only minor criteria for PSS than anti-ENA (-) PSS controls (31% vs 0%). Anti-ENA(+) patients had less skin and muscle involvement (p less than 0.05) than their matched controls and tended to overlap more with other diseases (3 vs 0 patients). Besides antinuclear antibody and ENA, no significant serological differences were found between the 2 groups.