title: Clinical significance of antinuclear antibodies in Japanese patients with systemic sclerosis.
abstract: Clinical significance of specific antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in Japanese patients with systemic sclerosis was studied. The patients with systemic sclerosis were classified into four groups according to ANA: (1) anticentromere antibody-positive; (2) anti-Scl-70 antibody-positive; (3) anti-nRNP antibody-positive, and (4) others. The mean score (the number of positive signs in six selected specific signs) of the patients with anti-Scl-70 antibody was significantly higher than those of the other three groups. More frequent contracture of phalanges in the patients with anti-Scl-70 antibody, less diffuse pigmentation in the patients with anti-nRNP antibody, and less pulmonary fibrosis in the patients with anticentromere antibody were revealed. As shown above, the detection of specific ANA in systemic sclerosis is clinically important.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Igarashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takehara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Soma
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000276:immunology; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*; D012880:Skin Pigmentation
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear