title: Undifferentiated connective tissue disease with antibodies to Ro/SSa: clinical features and follow-up of 148 patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical and serologic profile, the rate of progression to well defined CTD and the possible predictors of disease evolution in patients affected by UCTD with antibodies anti-RoISSA.
  
  
  METHODS
  148 patients diagnosed as UCTD were retrospectively evaluated. Antibodies to SSA/Ro were determined by counter-immunoelectrophoresis and ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-six patients (24.3%) developed a well-defined CTD after a mean follow-up of 4.5 years. Most patients developed primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) (50%) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (30.5%). Leukopenia and xerophthalmia developed more frequently in the group of patients evolving to defined CTDs (p < 0.0032 and p < 0.0063). Leukopenia independently predicted the evolution in CTD by multivariate regression analysis (p < 0.019). Anti-dsDNA predicted the evolution in SLE (p < 0.0207), while the presence of additional anti-ENA specificity to anti-Ro/SSA was not associated with the outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  24.3% of patients with UCTD and antibodies to Ro/SSA can progress in a relatively short period of time to well-defined CTDs. The development of primary SS could be predicted by xerophthalmia and SLE by the appearance of anti-dsDNA antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Servizio di Allergologia e Immunologia Clinica, Cattedra di Immunologia Clinica, Spedali Civili, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cavazzana
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Franceschini
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Belfiore
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quinzanini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caporali
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Calzavara-Pinton
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bettoni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brucato
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montecucco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007122:Immunoelectrophoresis; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000276:immunology; D007970:Leukopenia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008947:Mixed Connective Tissue Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020733:RNA, Small Cytoplasmic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D014985:Xerophthalmia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D000099207:SS-A Antigen
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001324:Autoantigens; D016209:Interleukin-8; D020733:RNA, Small Cytoplasmic; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; D000099207:SS-A Antigen; C116006:RO60 protein, human; C090781:endothelial neutrophil activating peptide