Register for email alerts and news feeds:
This journal | BMJ Group
rss
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2003;62:771-774; doi:10.1136/ard.62.8.771
Copyright © 2003 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & European League Against Rheumatism.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2003;62:771-774
© 2003 by BMJ Publishing Group & European League Against Rheumatism

CONCISE REPORT

Antiphospholipid antibody in localised scleroderma

S Sato1, M Fujimoto2, M Hasegawa1, K Takehara1

1 Department of Dermatology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan
2 Department of Regenerative Medicine, Research Institute, International Medical Centre of Japan, Tokyo, Japan

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr S Sato, Department of Dermatology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8641, Japan;
s-sato{at}med.kanazawa-u.ac.jp

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and clinical correlation of antiphospholipid antibodies in localised scleroderma.

Methods: Antibodies against cardiolipin (aCL) or ß2-glycoprotein I were examined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 48 patients with localised scleroderma (18 patients with generalised morphoea, 20 with linear scleroderma, and 10 with morphoea). Twenty one of these patients were investigated for lupus anticoagulant (LAC) by screening and confirmatory coagulation tests.

Results: Patients with generalised morphoea, the severest form of localised scleroderma, had significantly raised levels of IgM or IgG aCL relative to normal controls (n=21) and patients with systemic sclerosis (n=20). The IgM isotype was predominant, with the frequency of IgM aCL (61%) higher than that of IgG aCL (28%). Levels of aCL were similar for patients with linear scleroderma or morphoea and normal controls. IgM aCL were associated with a greater number of lesions, especially plaque lesions, wider distribution of lesions, and the presence of immunological abnormalities including antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor, IgM antihistone antibodies, IgG anti-single stranded DNA antibodies, and raised serum interleukin 6 levels in patients with localised scleroderma. LAC was detected in 5/7 (71%) patients with generalised morphoea. However, pulmonary embolism was seen in only one patient with generalised morphoea. None of patients with localised scleroderma exhibited anti-ß2-glycoprotein I antibodies.

Conclusions: These results suggest that aCL and LAC are the major autoantibodies in patients with generalised morphoea.

Keywords: scleroderma; morphoea; antiphospholipid antibodies; anticardiolipin antibodies; lupus anticoagulant

Abbreviations: aCL, anticardiolipin antibodies; AHA, antihistone antibodies; ANA, antinuclear antibodies; aPL, antiphospholipid antibodies; ß2GPI, ß2-glycoprotein I; ELISA, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; IL, interleukin; LAC, lupus anticoagulant; RF, rheumatoid factor; SSc, systemic sclerosis; ssDNA, single stranded DNA


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Kraigher, O., Brenner, S., Tur, E. (2009). Anti-Double-Stranded DNA-Positive Unilateral Generalized Morphea in an Adult, Possibly Exacerbated by Ibuprofen. Arch Dermatol 145: 844-846 [Full Text]  
  • Takehara, K., Sato, S. (2005). Localized scleroderma is an autoimmune disorder. Rheumatology (Oxford) 44: 274-279 [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This Article

Services
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
Bookmark with

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.

BMJ Careers - Latest Rheumatology Jobs

Rheumatology Jobs