title: Frequency and significance of antinuclear antibodies in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: In a prospective sample of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) we found a high frequency of antinuclear antibodies (ANA), 22.5%, confirming results from previous studies. ANA occurrence did not correlate with gender, age, duration of MS, MS course, or disability in either the prospective and retrospective samples of MS patients. In 16 patients with MS tested at two time points, ANA occurrence did correlate with MS disease activity. This suggests that the high frequency of ANA in MS reflects ongoing immune dysregulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, NY, USA.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Collard
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Koehler
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Mattson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D007159:Immunologic Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D007074:Immunoglobulin G