Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: clinical, biological, and radiological correlations.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence and the associations of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) and subtypes with clinical, biological, and radiological findings in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


METHODS
This is a transversal study of 85 patients with RA (followed in Ibn-i Sina Hospital, Ankara University School of Medicine) with disease duration of 8.7 +/- 6.4 years. Besides clinical, biological, and radiological disease activity parameters, ANCA and ANCA against myeloperoxidase (MPO) and proteinase 3 (PR3) were examined.


RESULTS
The prevalence of ANCA, perinuclear ANCA (p-ANCA) and atypical ANCA (a-ANCA) were 18% (15/85 patients), 6% and 12%, respectively. Anti-MPO was found in six patients while anti-PR3 was not found. No significant association could be found between clinical, biological, and radiological disease activity assessments and ANCA (including indirect immunoflorescence subtypes). Similarly, ANCA were not associated with features suggestive of underlying vasculitis (noticed in 11/85 patients), and/or other extra-articular features.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results confirm that ANCA of various specificities (mainly a-ANCA) occur in a minority of RA. However, those ANCA were not associated with more severe RA, including the 6/85 patients positive for MPO (who were all free from vasculitis). The over-representation in RA sera of a-ANCA, as compared to p-ANCA, should be further studied.
Tur
Birkan Sonel
BS
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. bsonel@yahoo.com
Süldür
Nurben
N
Ataman
Sebnem
S
Tutkak
Hüseyin
H
Atay
Mesut Birol
MB
Düzgün
Nurşen
N
D000328:Adult; D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic / Q000097:blood*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology
D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic; D009195:Peroxidase