Clinical Significance of Different Profiles of anti-Ro Antibodies in Connective Tissue Diseases

Abstract

Objective. Anti-Ro60 and anti-Ro52 antibodies are associated with different connective tissue diseases (CTDs). However, the clinical significance of anti-Ro antibodies is not always consistent among different global regions. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with anti-Ro antibodies. Methods. A total of 1596 inpatients with anti-Ro antibodies were included in the study. Demographic, clinical, and serological data were compared between individuals with different profiles of anti-Ro antibodies: patients with anti-Ro52 antibodies alone, patients with anti-Ro60 antibodies alone, and patients with combined anti-Ro52 and anti-Ro60 antibodies. Results. Of the 1596 patients, 1362 (85.3%) were female, the mean age was 45.5 years, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (46.0%) and Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) (19.0%) were the most common CTD diagnoses. Among the patients with anti-Ro52 antibodies alone, idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (18.8%) and SLE (17.6%) were the most common CTD diagnoses. The coexistent autoantibodies of this group were significantly lower compared with those of the other two groups, while the presence of anti-Jo1 antibodies were significantly higher compared with those of the other two groups (3.7% vs. 0.6% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.029 ). In addition, the patients with isolated anti-Ro52 antibodies were more likely to suffer from interstitial lung disease (35.5% vs. 11.3% vs. 13.7%, p < 10 − 4 ) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (10.1% vs. 5.3% vs. 3.6%, p = 0.001 ) compared with the other two groups of patients. Compared with patients with isolated anti-Ro52 or anti-Ro60 antibodies, the patients with combined anti-Ro52 and anti-Ro60 antibodies were more likely to suffer from xerophthalmia and xerostomia. Furthermore, hypocomplementemia, hyperglobulinemia, and proteinuria were particularly prevalent in patients with anti-Ro60 antibodies. Conclusion. Different profiles of anti-Ro antibodies were significantly associated with clinical phenotypic features in CTDs, indicating the potential diagnostic and prognostic value of these antibodies in clinical practice.

Co-Existence of Dry Mouth, Xerostomia, and Focal Lymphocytic Sialadenitis in Patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome

“…Contrary to these results, Yang et al detected that SS patients with combined anti-Ro52 and anti-Ro60 antibodies were more likely to suffer from xerophthalmia and xerostomia than patients with isolated anti-Ro52 or anti-Ro60 antibodies. The proportion of patients with glandular involvement was significantly higher in patients with combined anti-Ro52 and anti-Ro60 antibodies than in patients with isolated anti-Ro60 antibodies [41,42]. However, after division into smaller serology subgroups, the small sample size may have prevented a possible correlation from being found between anti-SSA/SSB positivity and the occurrence of dry mouth.…”