This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Laustrup, H Articles by Junker, P Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Laustrup, H Articles by Junker, P Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Autoantibodies and self-reported health complaints in relatives of systemic lupus erythematosus patients: a community based approach

Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark, helle.laustrup{at}dadlnet.dk

N HH Heegaard

Department of Autoimmunology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark

A Voss

Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

A Green

Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

S T Lillevang

Department of Clinical Immunology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

P Junker

Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

First-degree relatives (FDRs) and spouses to a population-derived cohort of lupus patients were investigated for the occurrence of selected autoantibodies and self-reported health complaints. A healthy reference population was included. The lupus population consisted of 103 index cases. A total of 275/375 available relatives accepted to enter the study. Two hundred and twenty-six/315 (72%) were FDRs and 49/60 (82%) were spouses. Serum was analysed for ANA using indirect immunofluorescence on Hep-2 cells at the following dilutions: 1: 40, 1: 80 and 1: 160 and in addition sera were tested for anti-dsDNA, IgM RF, ACA (IgM, IgG), anti-ß₂ GPI (IgM, IgG) and antibodies to prothrombin. ANA positivity occurred more frequently in FDRs compared with spouses and controls at serum dilution 1: 160 (10 versus 0% and 2.5%, respectively, P = 0.04 and P < 0.01), 1: 80 (24 versus 4% and 5%, respectively, P = 0.003 and P < 0.001) and 1: 40 (31 versus 10% and 10%, respectively, P = 0.006 and P < 0.0001). ANA positivity in FDRs occurred randomly, irrespective of family relationship. Fifty-three/184 versus 2/32 FDRs to patients with definite SLE (D-SLE) and incomplete SLE (I-SLE), respectively, tested ANA positive at 1: 80 (P < 0.05). FDRs with ANA titer at 80 were affiliated to lupus probands with high SLICC scores (P < 0.05). Self-reported health complaints, cardiovascular/thromboembolic events in particular, were more frequent among FDRs than in spouses. The population-based approach adopted in the present study supports previous clinic-based evidence of an increased propensity for autoantibody occurrence in relatives to SLE patients. In FDRs, present ANA positivity was associated with increased prevalence of health complaints and ANA positivity in FDRs was related to the criterial burden and cumulated damage in corresponding lupus probands. The low ANA frequency among spouses of SLE patients argues against a significant autoantibody triggering effect of shared environment in adult life.

Key Words: antinuclear antibodies • family studies • systemic lupus erythematosus

Lupus, Vol. 13, No. 10, 792-799 (2004)
DOI: 10.1191/0961203304lu2015oa


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. Toplak and T. Avcin Vaccination of healthy subjects and autoantibodies: from mice through dogs to humans Lupus, November 1, 2009; 18(13): 1186 - 1191. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. V. HOEGH, A. VOSS, G. L. SORENSEN, A. HOJ, C. BENDIXEN, P. JUNKER, and U. HOLMSKOV Circulating Surfactant Protein D Is Decreased in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus J Rheumatol, November 1, 2009; 36(11): 2449 - 2453. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]