Antiendothelial cell antibodies in scleroderma correlate with severe digital ischemia and pulmonary arterial hypertension

J Rheumatol. 1998 Mar;25(3):462-6.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of IgG antiendothelial cell antibodies (AECA) in patients with scleroderma (systemic sclerosis, SSc) and to correlate it with clinical spectrum and autoantibody profile.

Methods: Seventy-six patients with SSc and 50 matched healthy controls were studied. Immunological variables were antinuclear antibody (ANA), rheumatoid factor (RF), and Scl-70. IgG-AECA was measured by cellular ELISA.

Results: The prevalence of IgG-AECA was 27.6% in patients with SSc compared to 6% in controls (p < 0.01). Forty percent of patients with diffuse disease had this antibody, versus 13.5% of those with limited cutaneous involvement (p < 0.05). Patients with AECA had significantly higher incidence of digital infarcts and gangrene (p < 0.01) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (p < 0.001) than those without. In the AECA positive group, mean IgG-AECA levels (measured by absorbance values) were significantly higher in patients with digital infarcts (0.91+/-0.31 vs 0.60+/-0.05; p < 0.01) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (1.14+/-0.37 vs 0.68+/-0.13; p < 0.001) compared to those without these features.

Conclusion: IgG-AECA appears to be an important marker for disease severity in scleroderma.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Autoantibodies / blood*
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Endothelium, Vascular / immunology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / blood
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / complications
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / immunology*
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood*
  • Ischemia / blood
  • Ischemia / complications
  • Ischemia / immunology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pulmonary Artery / immunology
  • Scleroderma, Systemic / blood
  • Scleroderma, Systemic / complications
  • Scleroderma, Systemic / immunology*
  • Statistics as Topic

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Biomarkers
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • anti-endothelial cell antibody