ABSTRACT
We have evaluated the occurrence of selected autoantibodies commonly utilized in rheumatologic practice in subsets of elderly population [n = 100]. Rheumatoid factor [RF], antinuclear antibodies [ANA]. antibodies to doule stranded DNA [anti-dsDNA], antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens [ENA] [anti-Sm, anti-SS-A and anti-SS-B] and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies [ANCA] were studied in the elderly subpopulations and compared to a group of young adult normal controls [n = 40] to explore the effect of aging process on the production of these autoantibodies. The elderly population were subgrouped into; group I = 40 rheumatoid arthritis [RA] patients. group II = 30 chronically ill patients and group III = 30 healthy successfully aging subjects. There was no statistical significant difference in autoantibodies in successfully aging elderly compared to healthy young control group, RF and ANA were significantly increased in chronically ill and RA patients when compared to both the successfully aging and young adult normal groups. Also, positive ANCA results were only found in the chronically ill and RA elderly subpopulations. Anti-ENA were found to be significantly higher in RA group when compared to both young controls and the successfully aging group. Thus, we could conclude that autoantibodies commonly utilized in rheumatological practice are not globally non-specifically increased as a result of aging but increased in chronically ill, either rheumatologic or non-rheumatologic elderly patients. Therefore, assessment of health status in necessary to evaluate the clinical significance of these autoantibodies in the elderly