Racial differences in the distribution of systemic sclerosis–related serum antinuclear antibodies

✍ Scribed by Masataka Kuwana; Yutaka Okano; Junichi Kaburaki; Takeshi Tojo; Thomas A. Medsger Jr.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 536 KB
• Volume: 37
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780370619

✦ Synopsis

Objective. To determine racial differences in the frequencies of systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related serum antinuclear antibodies (ANA).

Methods. We tested serum samples from 275 Japanese, 416 North American Caucasian, and 24 North American black SSc patients for 8 SSc-related serum ANA, using indirect immunofluorescence, double immunodiffusion, and radioimmunoprecipitation assays.

Results. In comparing the 3 racial groups, we found that anti-U1 RNP, anti-RNA polymerase I, 11, and 111, and anti-U3 RNP antibodies were the most frequently detected antibodies in Japanese, Caucasian, and black patients, respectively. Anti-PM-Scl antibody was found exclusively in Caucasians.

Conclusion. The production of SSc-related serum ANA is related to immunogenetic background. Systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma) is an autoimmune disease that affects connective tissue and is characterized by microvascular damage and fibrosis of the dermis and internal organs (1). Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are found in the sera of more than