The variation in anti-ENA characteristics between different ethnic populations with systemic lupus erythematosus over a 10-year period.
OBJECTIVE
To assess how anti-ENA characteristics change in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus from different ethnic backgrounds over a 10-year period follow-up study.


RESULTS
There were 61 patients, of whom 37 were Caucasian, 12 were Asian and 12 were Afro-Caribbean. At the first available bleed 12/37 (32%) Caucasians were anti-ENA positive compared to 6/12 (50%) Asians and 9/12 (75%) of Afro-Caribbeans (Chi-squared P=0.01 for Caucasian vs Afro-Caribbean) and these proportions remained essentially unchanged after 10 y of follow-up. However, over the 10 y of follow-up anti-ENA patterns did change, with anti-Ro being the commonest antibody pattern to emerge and anti-Ro/La the commonest antibody pattern to disappear. There were 20/37(54%) Caucasians, 1/12(8%) Afro-Caribbeans and 5/12(42%) Asians who remained negative for anti-ENA throughout the 10-year follow-up (Chi-squared P=0.03 for Caucasian vs Afro-Caribbean).


CONCLUSIONS
Anti-ENA were more commonly found in the Afro-Caribbean than the Caucasian population. The commonest patterns of anti-ENA differ between ethnic groups and, over a 10-year period, anti-ENA patterns in individual patients changed in a significant number of individuals. However, Caucasians were more likely to remain anti-ENA negative over 10 y of follow-up than Afro-Caribbeans.
Tench
C M
CM
Centre for Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University College London, UK.
Isenberg
D A
DA
D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear