Elsevier

Journal of Autoimmunity

Volume 1, Issue 4, August 1988, Pages 381-388
Journal of Autoimmunity

Clinical implications of the presence of anti-Ro(SSA) antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

https://doi.org/10.1016/0896-8411(88)90008-XGet rights and content

Abstract

The clinical and serologic findings in 25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of more than 5 years' duration, who had antibodies to Ro(SSA) cellular antigen, were analyzed and compared with those in 50 anti-Ro(SSA) negative RA patients with similar disease duration. Ninety-six percent of the anti-Ro(SSA) positive patients were female, compared to 74% in the negative group. The majority of antibody positive patients had symmetric erosive synovitis, similar to that observed in the negative group. Extraarticular manifestations were similar in both groups, except for features of Sjögren's syndrome (keratoconjunctivitis sicca and positive labial salivary gland biopsy), which were significantly more common in patients with anti-Ro(SSA) antibodies. Anemia of chronic disease was also more common in these patients, as were rheumatoid factor (RF) and antinuclear antibodies (ANAs). No patient in either group had antibodies to ds-DNA or Sm and none developed clinical features suggestive of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). D-penicillamine, given in the majority of patients in both groups, produced adverse reactions in 72% of the anti-Ro(SSA) positive patients, but only in 27% of the negative ones. Thus, anti-Ro(SSA) antibodies seem to characterize a distinct group of RA patients who are almost exclusively female, express more activated B-cell function, have a high prevalence of Sjögren's features and commonly develop side effects to D-penicillamine.

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