Anti-ENA profiles related with anti-SS-A/Ro. The detection of Ro52 and Ro60 according to the presence of SS-B/La, and ANA pattern and titer.
Anti-Ro52 (Ro52) and anti-Ro60 (Ro60) antibodies are associated with different clinical entities. We investigated their relationship with the presence of anti-SS-B/La (SSB) antibody, the pattern and titer of antinuclear antibody (ANA), and the variations in antibody profiles related with anti-SS-A/Ro (SSA) positivity. Our aim was to develop a strategy to increase the efficiency of anti-extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) determinations. Statistical analyses were based on the Chi-squared test for categorical variables, the Mann-Whitney U test to compare profiles, and the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) to estimate the risk of variability. We analyzed 800 SSA-positive samples with Ro52 or Ro60 reactivity. The most frequent profiles were Ro52+Ro60+SSB (n=349, 43.6%); Ro52+Ro60 (n=126, 15.8%); Ro52 (n=121, 15.1%) and Ro60 (n=71, 8.9%). In samples positive only for SSA and an ANA titer ≤1:640, the most likely profile was positivity for either Ro52 or Ro60, whereas when the ANA titer was >1:640, positivity for both Ro52 and Ro60 simultaneously was more likely (p<0.001). In samples positive for both SSA and SSB, the most likely profile was Ro52+Ro60+SSB regardless of the ANA titer (p=0.001). When only SSA was positive and the ANA staining pattern was nucleolar, centromeric or cytoplasmic, Ro52 positivity was most likely (p<0.001). When both SSA and SSB were positive, both Ro52 and Ro60 were likely to be positive regardless of the ANA staining pattern. In 28.7% of the patients the profile was variable. Variability was significantly greater in those with the SSA profile (23/67) than with the SSA+SSB profile (15/105; OR=1.9, 95% CI=1.1-3.3; p=0.025), and the difference in variability was greatest between the Ro52+Ro60 profile (8/23) and the Ro52+Ro60+SSB profile (8/68; OR=4.2, 95% CI=1.9-9.5; p<0.001). We conclude that to increase efficiency in the immunology laboratory, positivity for Ro52 and Ro60 individually or simultaneously can be deduced from SSB status and the ANA pattern and titer. In general, for the most frequent anti-ENA findings, priority should be given to retesting autoantibodies not detected in the initial analysis.
Immunology Unit, Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; Research Unit, Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
D Almeida
DA
González
Immunology Unit, Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
C Casañas
CC
Rodríguez
Rheumatology Section, Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
L Magdalena
LM
Armas
Rheumatology Section, Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
A Roces
AR
Varela
Research Unit, Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
I Marcelino
IM
Rodríguez
Rheumatology Section, Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
M Troche
MT
Duarte
Research Unit, Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain. Electronic address: acableo@gobiernodecanarias.org.
A Cabrera
AC
de León
D000465:Algorithms; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D000097585:SS-B Antigen; D000099207:SS-A Antigen
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001324:Autoantigens; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; D000097585:SS-B Antigen; D000099207:SS-A Antigen
Algorithm; Anti-ENA profiles; Efficiency; Ro52; Ro60