title: Photosensitivity and antinuclear antibodies in black patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: Black patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a lower prevalence of photosensitivity rashes than white patients. The reasons for this are unknown, but some studies suggest a correlation between the presence of antinuclear antibodies and protection from photosensitivity. In our study, we determined serum antinuclear-antibody profiles, including anti-dsDNA, anti-Sm, anti-RNP, anti-Ro/SS-A, and anti-La/SS-B antibodies, in 91 black Jamaican patients with SLE. All 91 serum samples from SLE patients (100%) were positive in the fluorescent antinuclear-antibody test. Using the crithidia luciliae immunofluorescence test, anti-dsDNA was found in 27.5% of the samples. By a double immunodiffusion method, anti-Sm antibodies were found in 15.4%, anti-RNP in 18.7%, anti-Ro/SS-A in 9.9%, and anti-La/SS-B in 11.0%. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in the seroprevalence of these antinuclear antibodies when sera from patients of the following groups were compared: only photosensitivity rashes (n = 17), photosensitivity and other rashes (n = 23), other rashes without photosensitivity (n = 27), and patients with no skin rash of any type (n = 24). These results suggest that photosensitivity in black Jamaican patients with SLE is not associated with antinuclear-antibody specificity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Medicine, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Smikle
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.forename: O S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deceulaer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood*; D044383:Black People; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D017454:Dermatitis, Photoallergic / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007563:Jamaica; D008178:Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear