Anti-centromere antibody-seropositive Sjögren's syndrome differs from conventional subgroup in clinical and pathological study.
BACKGROUND
To clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) with anti-centromere antibody (ACA).


METHODS
Characteristics of 14 patients of pSS with ACA were evaluated. All patients were anti-SS-A/Ro and SS-B/La antibodies negative (ACA+ group) without sclerodactyly. The prevalence of Raynaud's phenomenon (RP), titer of IgG and focus score (FS) in the minor salivary glands (MSGs) were determined. Quantification analysis of Azan Mallory staining was performed to detect collagenous fiber. Forty eight patients in whom ACA was absent were chosen as the conventional (ACA-) pSS group.


RESULTS
Prevalence of ACA+ SS patients was 14 out of 129 (10.85%) pSS patients. RP was observed in 61.5% of the patients with ACA. The level of IgG in the ACA+ group was significantly lower than that of the ACA- group (p = 0.018). Statistical difference was also found in the FS of MSGs from the ACA+ group (1.4 +/- 1.0) as compared with the ACA- group (2.3 +/- 1.6) (p = 0.035). In contrast, the amount of fibrous tissue was much higher in the ACA+ group (65052.2 +/- 14520.6 microm(2) versus 26251.3 +/- 14249.8 microm(2)) (p = 1.3 x 10(-12)).


CONCLUSIONS
Low cellular infiltration but with an increase in fibrous tissues may explain the clinical feature of a high prevalence of RP and normal IgG concentration in ACA+ pSS.
Nakamura
Hideki
H
Unit of Translational Medicine, Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki, Japan. nakamura_hideki911@yahoo.co.jp
Kawakami
Atsushi
A
Hayashi
Tomayoshi
T
Iwamoto
Naoki
N
Okada
Akitomo
A
Tamai
Mami
M
Yamasaki
Satoshi
S
Ida
Hiroaki
H
Eguchi
Katsumi
K
D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002503:Centromere / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011928:Raynaud Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D007074:Immunoglobulin G