title: Frequency of autoantibodies and connective tissue diseases in Chinese patients with optic neuritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Optic neuritis (ON) is often associated with other clinical or serological markers of connective tissue diseases (CTDs). To date, the effects of autoantibodies on ON are not clear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence, clinical patterns, and short outcomes of autoantibodies and Sjögren's syndrome (SS) involvement in Chinese ON patients and evaluate the relationship between ON, including their subtypes, and autoantibodies.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 190 ON patients were divided into recurrent ON (RON), bilateral ON (BON), and isolated monocular ON (ION). Demographic, clinical, and serum autoantibodies data were compared between them with and without SS involvement. Serum was drawn for antinuclear antibody (ANA), extractable nuclear antigen antibodies (SSA/SSB), rheumatoid factor (RF), anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA), and anti-double-stranded DNA antibody (A-ds DNA), anticardiolipin antibody (ACLs), anti-β2-glycoprotein I (β2-GPI) and Aquaporin-4 antibodies (AQP4-Ab). Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was used to evaluate the atrophy of the optic nerve.
  
  
  RESULTS
  68 patients (35.79%) had abnormal autoantibodies, 26(13.68%) patients met diagnostic criteria for CTDs, including 15(7.89%) patients meeting the criteria for SS. Antibodies including SSA/SSB 23 (30.26%) (p1 and p 2<0.001) and AQP4-Ab10 (13.16%) (p1 = 0.044, p2 = 0.01) were significantly different in patients in the RON group when compared with those in the BON (P1 = RON VS ION) and ION (p2 = RON VS ION) groups. SS was more common in RON patients (p1 = 0.04, p2 = 0.028). There was no significant difference between SSA/SSB positive and negative patients in disease characteristics or severity. Similar results were obtained when SS was diagnosed in SSA/SSB positive patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RON and BON were more likely associated with abnormal autoantibodies; furthermore, AQP4 antibody, SSA/SSB and SS were more common in the RON patients. AQP4 antibody determination is crucial in RON patients who will develop NMO. However, when compared with other autoantibodies, SSA/SSB detected in patients was not significantly associated with disease characteristics or severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, The Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Hongyang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, The General Hospital of Beijing Military Region, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, The People's Hospital Affiliated Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Zuohuizi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Dehui
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, The Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shihui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D051401:Aquaporin 4 / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D053482:beta 2-Glycoprotein I / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: C496030:AQP4 protein, human; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D051401:Aquaporin 4; D001323:Autoantibodies; D053482:beta 2-Glycoprotein I; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor