title: Autoantibodies and Sjogren's Syndrome in multiple sclerosis, a reappraisal.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rheumatologic diseases may cause neurologic disorders that mimic multiple sclerosis (MS). A panel of serum autoantibodies is often obtained as part of the evaluation of patients suspected of having MS.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine, in light of recently revised diagnostic criteria for MS, neuromyelitis optica, and Sjogren's Syndrome, if testing for autoantibodies in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of MS would reveal a frequency or demonstrate a clinical utility divergent from previous reports or lead to identification of undiagnosed cases of Sjogren's Syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Convenience sample cross-sectional study of MS patients recruited from the OHSU Multiple Sclerosis Center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Autoantibodies were detected in 38% (35/91) of patients with MS and were not significantly associated with disease characteristics or severity. While four patients had SSA antibodies, none met diagnostic criteria for Sjogren's Syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rheumatologic autoantibodies are frequently found in MS patients and are not associated with disease severity or systemic rheumatologic disease. Our demonstration of the low specificity of these autoantibodies suggests that the diagnostic utility and cost-effectiveness of testing is not supported when there is strong clinical suspicion of MS and low clinical suspicion of rheumatologic disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America. andrew.solomon@uvm.edu
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hills
authors.forename: Zunqiu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bourdette
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Whitham
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D009922:Oregon; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies