© 1996 British Society for Rheumatology
research-article |
ANTINEUTROPHIL CYTOPLASMIC ANTIBODIES IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS
Departments of Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Groningen The Netherlands
*Rheumatology, University Hospital Groningen The Netherlands
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to: C. G. M. Kallenberg, Department of Clinical Immunology, University Hospital, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) with specificity for proteinase-3 (PR3) are associated with Wegener's granulomatosis, and ANCA directed to myeloperoxidase (MPO) with other idiopathic vasculitides. Inflammation of small-sized blood vessels is a hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We evaluated the prevalence of ANCA in SLE, their antigenic specificities, and their possible relation to clinical disease patterns and activity. Plasma samples from 84 patients with SLE were tested for ANCA during remission. Plasma samples from the 25 patients who relapsed during a follow-up of 32 months were serially analysed for ANCA in a 6 month period preceding and including the relapse. The presence of ANCA was assessed by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and ELISA for antibodies to PR3, MPO, lactoferrin (LF), elastase (HLE) and cathepsin-G (CG). We related the presence of ANCA to disease patterns, activity and duration. ANCA by IIF were difficult to interpret due to the presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA). By ELISA, we found no anti-PR3 or anti-HLE. Anti-MPO (n = 7), anti-LF (n = 13) and anti-CG (n = 10) were detected, generally in low titres. The presence of ANCA of defined specificity was not associated with specific clinical subsets. The prevalence of ANCA was higher in patients who developed relapses than in those who did not (P < 0.01). However, levels of ANCA did not fluctuate in the period preceding the relapse. ANCA of various specificities occur in SLE. Their presence is not associated with specific clinical disease entities. The higher frequency of ANCA in relapsing patients compared to those who do not relapse may suggest that ANCA are involved in disease expression. Their diagnostic significance is limited.
KEY WORDS: ANCA, SLE, Disease activity, ELISA
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  M Chen, M-H Zhao, Y Zhang, and H Wang Antineutrophil autoantibodies and their target antigens in systemic lupus erythematosus Lupus, August 1, 2004; 13(8): 584 - 589. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J D Reveille Predictive value of autoantibodies for activity of systemic lupus erythematosus Lupus, May 1, 2004; 13(5): 290 - 297. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D Sen and D. A Isenberg Antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus Lupus, September 1, 2003; 12(9): 651 - 658. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M Mannik, C E Merrill, and M H Wener Antibodies to human myeloperoxidase in glomerular immune deposits of systemic lupus erythematosus Lupus, October 1, 2000; 9(8): 607 - 613. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. Vassilopoulos and G. S. Hoffman Clinical Utility of Testing for Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies Clin. Vaccine Immunol., September 1, 1999; 6(5): 645 - 651. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|