Systemic sclerosis and organ - specific antibodies.

INTRODUCTION    According to literature, some organ-specific antibodies may be present in systemic sclerosis (SSc).  OBJECTIVES    The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of antithyroid antibodies (aTPO and/or aTG) and antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) in SSc patients (pts) moreover, to evaluate their clinical consequences.  PATIENTS AND METHODS    Analysis involved 86 consecutive patients with SSc hospitalized in the Department of Rheumatology; 32 patients had diffuse cutaneous (dcSSc) and 54 had limited cutaneous (lcSSc). Patients were observed for autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATDs) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Serum samples were obtained from each patient.  RESULTS    27/86 pts (31%) had positive antithyroid antibodies and 11/86 pts (13%) had positive AMAs. ATD was diagnosed in 26/86 pts (30%) and PBC in 10/86 pts (12%) with SSc. No significant intergroup differences in the prevalence of antithyroid antibodies were found between dcSSc vs. lcSSc patients, but the prevalence of AMAs was significantly higher in lcSSc compared to dcSSc. The prevalence of anti-Ro-52 antibodies was significantly higher in the SSc group with positive aTPO antibodies compared to the SSc group with negative aTPO antibodies. The prevalence of anticentromere antibodies (ACAs) was significantly higher in the SSc group with positive AMAs compared to the SSc group with negative AMAs.  CONCLUSIONS    The prevalence of organ-specific antibodies in SSc patients is relatively high.  The prevalence of AMAs is higher in the lcSSc than in the dcSSc group and is strongly associated with ACAs. Therefore patients with systemic sclerosis should be evaluated for coexisting ATD and PBC.