ABSTRACT
Forty-four patients with high titers of anti-RNP antibodies, without anti-Sm or anti-nDNA antibodies, were studied retrospectively for clinical symptomatology, morbidity and mortality. Seven had died. Eleven had renal disease. Of patients with disease course greater than 7 years, only half had features of overlapping connective tissue diseases. The finding of high titer anti-RNP antibodies without anti-Sm or anti-nDNA did not appear to imply a distinct or unique clinical diagnosis or prognosis.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Antinuclear/analysis , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology , Connective Tissue Diseases/immunology , Mixed Connective Tissue Disease/immunology , Nucleoproteins/immunology , Ribonucleoproteins/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/diagnosis , Cell Nucleus/immunology , Child , Connective Tissue Diseases/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Kidney Diseases/immunology , Male , Middle Aged , Mixed Connective Tissue Disease/diagnosis , Prognosis , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
A case of definite ankylosing spondylitis (AS), classical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and membranous nephropathy is presented. Concurrent presence of the HLA-B27 and HLA-DR4 antigens was demonstrated. The association of AS and RA as well as RA and membranous nephropathy are discussed and the literature reviewed.
