Prevalence of anti-endothelial cell antibodies in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with connective tissue diseases.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECAs) in the sera of connective tissue diseases (CTD) patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and its correlation with clinical manifestations.


METHODS
AECAs in sera of 39 CTD patients with PAH, 22 CTD patients without PAH, and 10 healthy donors as controls were detected with Western blotting. The prevalence of different AECAs in different groups was compared and its correlation with clinical manifestations was also investigated.


RESULTS
The prevalence of AECAs was 82.1% in CTD patients with PAH, 72.7% in CTD patients without PAH, and 20.0% in healthy donors. Anti-22 kD AECA was only detected in CTD patients with PAH (15.4%). Anti-75 kD AECA was more frequently detected in CTD patients with PAH than in those without PAH (51.3% vs. 22.7%, P < 0.05). In CTD patients with PAH, anti-75 kD AECA was more frequently detected in those with Raynaud's phenomenon or with positive anti-RNP antibody.


CONCLUSIONS
AECAs could be frequently detected in CTD patients with or without PAH, while anti-22 kD and anti-75 kD AECA might be specific in CTD patients with PAH.
Li
Meng-Tao
MT
Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
Ai
Jun
J
Tian
Zhuang
Z
Fang
Quan
Q
Zheng
Wen-Jie
WJ
Zeng
Xue-Jun
XJ
Zeng
Xiao-Feng
XF
D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged
D001323:Autoantibodies; C087589:anti-endothelial cell antibody