title: Spontaneous and X-ray induced chromosomal aberrations in selected connective tissue diseases.
abstract: Chromosome studies were performed on peripheral blood lymphocytes of 28 patients with connective tissue disease (6 with progressive systemic sclerosis, 6 with systemic lupus erythematosus, 6 with anti-nuclear antibody positive rheumatoid arthritis, 6 with anti-nuclear antibody negative rheumatoid arthritis, and 4 with mixed connective tissue disease) and on 17 controls to determine the frequency of spontaneous as well as X-ray (75 rads) induced aberrations. The mean spontaneous chromosomal aberration frequency for the 28 patients (9.1%) was significantly (P = 0.038) greater than that of controls (6.4%). When patients were categorized into specific clinically designated connective tissue disease subdivisions for comparison with the controls, only X-irradiated cells from the progressive systemic sclerosis group displayed significantly elevated levels of total chromosomal aberrations over those of the control group. The X-irradiated lymphocytes from these patients had an average of 23.6% aberrations per patient, while those of the control group showed an average of 14.9% per patient (P less than 0.05).
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002877:Chromosomes, Human / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008947:Mixed Connective Tissue Disease / Q000235:genetics; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000235:genetics