Antinuclear antibodies in patients with scleroderma (systemic sclerosis) and in their blood relatives and spouses.

OBJECTIVE--To test the postulate that there is a higher prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) in serum samples from blood relatives and from spouses of patients with scleroderma than in control samples, and that this provides evidence for both genetic and environmental factors influencing autoimmunity in scleroderma. METHOD--Testing for ANAs was performed on 58 patients with scleroderma, 30 of their spouses, 74 first degree relatives, and 66 control subjects broadly age matched to the patients, their spouses, and about half of the relatives (siblings and parents). RESULTS--On the basis of an ANA titre of > 40 as positive, 12 (18%) of the controls, 55 (95%) of the patients, one (3%) of the spouses and five (7%) of the relatives would be classified as positive. Thirty seven (64%) of the patients had defined specificities (ACA, Scl 70, U1 (RNP)) but none of the controls, spouses, or relatives had antibodies of these specificities. CONCLUSION--These findings give no support to the postulate that environmental or genetic factors contribute to the ANAs in scleroderma.

[1]  R. Brasington,et al.  Systemic sclerosis associated with cutaneous exposure to solvent: case report and review of the literature. , 1991, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[2]  U. Haustein,et al.  Silica-induced scleroderma. , 1990, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

[3]  B. Toh,et al.  T lymphocyte subset abnormalities and HLA antigens in scleroderma (systemic sclerosis). , 1989, Clinical and experimental immunology.

[4]  E. Tan,et al.  Antinuclear antibodies: diagnostic markers for autoimmune diseases and probes for cell biology. , 1989, Advances in immunology.

[5]  T. Medsger,et al.  Systemic sclerosis secondary to occupational exposure. , 1988, The American journal of medicine.

[6]  H. Maricq,et al.  Familial clustering of scleroderma spectrum disease. , 1988, The American journal of medicine.

[7]  M. Hochberg,et al.  Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma): clinical, genetic, and serologic subsets. , 1987, The Journal of rheumatology.

[8]  K. Welsh,et al.  Antinuclear antibodies in the relatives and spouses of patients with systemic sclerosis. , 1986, Annals of the rheumatic diseases.

[9]  B. Barger,et al.  DR antigens in systemic sclerosis: lack of clinical correlations. , 2008, Tissue antigens.

[10]  K. Welsh,et al.  HLA antigens, autoantibodies and clinical subsets in scleroderma. , 1984, British journal of rheumatology.

[11]  T. Medsger,et al.  Clinical spectrum of connective tissue disease after cosmetic surgery. Observations on eighteen patients and a review of the Japanese literature. , 1984, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[12]  T. Whiteside,et al.  HLA-DR antigens in progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). , 1983, The Journal of rheumatology.

[13]  D. Gladman,et al.  Increased frequency of HLA-DR5 in scleroderma. , 1981, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[14]  H. Maricq,et al.  Three siblings with scleroderma (systemic sclerosis) and two with Raynaud's phenomenon from a single kindred. , 1981, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[15]  E. Tan,et al.  Diversity of antinuclear antibodies in progressive systemic sclerosis. Anti-centromere antibody and its relationship to CREST syndrome. , 1980, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[16]  R. Altman,et al.  Progressive systemic sclerosis in a family: case report of a mother and son and review of the literature. , 1977, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[17]  M. N. Johnson,et al.  Capillary abnormalities in polyvinyl chloride production workers. Examination by in vivo microscopy. , 1976, JAMA.

[18]  A. Walker.  Occupational acro-osteolysis (two cases) , 1975, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine.

[19]  I. Mackay,et al.  Autoimmunity in a rural community. , 1972, Clinical and experimental immunology.

[20]  D. Coventry,et al.  SCLERODERMA: 1. CLINICAL FEATURES, COURSE OF ILLNESS AND RESPONSE TO TREATMENT IN 61 CASES , 1969, The Medical journal of Australia.

[21]  T. Medsger,et al.  The association of progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) with coal miners' pneumoconiosis and other forms of silicosis. , 1967, Annals of internal medicine.

[22]  G. M. McAndrew,et al.  Familial scleroderma. , 1965, Annals of physical medicine.

[23]  E. Ld.  Scleroderma in goldminers on the Witwatersrand with particular reference to pulmonary manifestations. , 1957 .

[24]  L. Erasmus.  Scleroderma in goldminers on the Witwatersrand with particular reference to pulmonary manifestations. , 1957, South African journal of laboratory and clinical medicine. Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir laboratorium- en kliniekwerk.