title: Prevalence of anti-endothelial cell antibodies in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with connective tissue diseases.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Meng-Tao
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.forename: Zhuang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Wen-Jie
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xue-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; C087589:anti-endothelial cell antibody