Abstract
A group of 12 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with anti-Ro antibody were compared to an age and sex matched group with RA. Both had similar articular manifestations but the anti-Ro positive patients had more severe extraarticular as well as serological abnormalities. Vasculitis, liver abnormalities, neutropenia and circulating immune complexes were prominent while sicca features were not. Treatment with remission inducing drugs failed frequently without increased toxicity. Two patients with classical RA with anti-Ro developed subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus and anti-dsDNA. Our observations suggest that the presence of anti-Ro in RA sera may be a marker for a small but significant subset of rheumatoid disease.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents / adverse effects
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents / therapeutic use
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Antibodies, Antinuclear / analysis*
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Arthritis, Rheumatoid / complications
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Arthritis, Rheumatoid / drug therapy
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Arthritis, Rheumatoid / immunology*
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Arthritis, Rheumatoid / physiopathology
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Autoantigens / immunology*
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HLA-DR Antigens / analysis
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HLA-DR Antigens / classification
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Humans
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Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / complications
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Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / immunology
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RNA, Small Cytoplasmic*
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Rheumatoid Factor / analysis
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Ribonucleoproteins*
Substances
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents
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Antibodies, Antinuclear
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Autoantigens
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HLA-DR Antigens
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RNA, Small Cytoplasmic
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RO60 protein, human
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Ribonucleoproteins
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SS-A antigen
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Rheumatoid Factor