Antiendothelial cell antibodies in inflammatory myopathies: distribution among clinical and serologic groups and association with interstitial lung disease.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence and associations of antiendothelial cell antibodies (AECA) in a well characterized cohort of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM).


METHODS
Clinical characteristics, AECA, and myositis-specific autoantibodies were assessed by standard methods in 56 subjects with IIM.


RESULTS
AECA were found in 20/56 patients with IIM, were seen in all the major clinical and serologic IIM groups, and were found in 10/15 patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) (chi squared 6.5, p<0.01 with Yates' correction, relative risk 2.7, specificity 86% and sensitivity 50%). Antisynthetase antibodies, also associated with ILD as described (chi squared = 26.5, p<0.001 with Yates' correction, relative risk 8.7, specificity 95%, sensitivity 77%), did not correlate with the presence of AECA.


CONCLUSIONS
AECA appear to be present in all forms of IIM and are markers for ILD that are independent of anti-synthetase autoantibodies. AECA may be a useful serologic marker for ILD in IIM.
D'Cruz
D
D
Lupus Arthritis Research Unit, The Rayne Institute, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.
Keser
G
G
Khamashta
M A
MA
Direskeneli
H
H
Targoff
I N
IN
Miller
F
F
Hughes
G R
GR
D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D004727:Endothelium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009220:Myositis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D001323:Autoantibodies