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Frequency and significance of anti‐Ro (SS‐A) antibodies in multiple sclerosis patients
Author(s) -
De Andrés C.,
Guillem A.,
RodríguezMahou M.,
López Longo F. J.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0404.2001.104002083.x
Subject(s) - anti nuclear antibody , medicine , multiple sclerosis , antibody , clinical significance , autoantibody , scleroderma (fungus) , gastroenterology , immunofluorescence , pathology , immunology , inoculation
Objective – To determine the frequency and significance of antinuclear (ANA), anticardiolipin (ACA) and anti‐Ro (SS‐A) antibodies in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Methods – ANA (indirect immunofluorescence), ACA and anti‐Ro (SS‐A) antibodies (ELISA) were tested in sera of 42 patients with Poser defined MS and 50 healthy individuals. Results – High levels of anti‐Ro (SS‐A) antibodies were found in 3 patients (7%) (vs 0 in the control group). Two of them had normal salivary gland biopsy. Clinical MS form was chronic–progressive in 2 cases and relapsing–remitting in the third one. Ten patients (23%) had low levels of ANA (vs 4%), none of them positive for anti‐Ro (SS‐A) antibodies. Only 1 patient (2%) with RR clinical form had ACA (vs 0). No clinical or neuroradiological differences with conventional MS patients were observed. Conclusions – ANA, ACA and anti‐Ro (SS‐A) antibodies in MS patients indicate an underlying autoimmune disease but our series suggests that they are an epiphenomenon of a more diffuse immunological dysfunction.