Autoantibody status in systemic sclerosis patients defines both cancer risk and survival with ANA negativity in cases with concomitant cancer having a worse survival.
The prevalence of ANA was increased in most patients with systemic especially in neuropathy (NP), hemolytic anemia (HA), primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS), dermatomyositis (DM), thrombocytopenia (Tb), systemic sclerosis (SSc), ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), AP, Renal impairment (RI), SLE, and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD).
As for the specific factors associated with neurological involvement, low C3 level were found to be significant in pSS or sSS patients who were younger 50 year old, and ANA positivity, cardiac involvement, saliva gland atrophy were demonstrated to be associated in elder pSS patients.
ANA-negative sera from the Scleroderma Family Registry and DNA Repository underwent indirect immunofluorescence, radiolabelled protein immunoprecipitation (± immunodepletion) to identify anti-eIF2B and other CTD-related autoantibodies.
Similar glandular features can also occur as a late complication in patients with other rheumatic disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and scleroderma ('secondary' Sjögren's syndrome).<sup>1</sup> Anti-Ro and/or anti-La (ENA) antibodies are found in approximately 70% of pSS patients, generally with ANA positivity.Hypergammaglobulinaemia is also common.
The results did not show any association of the inheritance to SSc with any particular HLA allele in these families but revealed a striking frequency of ANA autoantibodies in healthy spouses of the members of these families.