ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Specific testing for "isolated" anti-52 kDa SSA/Ro antibodies during standard anti-extractable nuclear antigen testing is of limited clinical value

Daman M Langguth¹, Samantha Morris², Lynette Clifford¹, Robert J Wilson², John Neil², Patrick G Hogan¹ and Richard C W Wong²

¹ Division of Immunology, Princess Alexandra Women’s Hospital Campuses, Queensland Health Pathology Services, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
² Division of Immunology, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Campuses, Queensland Health Pathology Services, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr D M Langguth
Division of Immunology, Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, PO Box 344, Indooroopilly, Queensland 4068, Australia; daman_langguth{at}snp.com.au

Aim: To ascertain whether specific testing for "isolated" anti-52 kDa SSA/Ro antibodies (a-SSA/Ro52) during standard anti-extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) testing is clinically useful.

Methods: 1438 consecutive sera submitted for anti-ENA testing over 1 year were evaluated for a-SSA/Ro52 using various assays.

Results: 7 of 1438 (0.48%) patients were found to have a-SSA/Ro52 without SSA/Ro60 antibodies. Subsequent testing detected a further five patients. Clinical follow-up was possible in 10/12 patients. 2 of these 10 patients had evidence of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) and one had systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with sicca symptoms and abnormal Schirmer’s tests. Five other patients had sicca symptoms, of which four had abnormal Schirmer’s tests.

Conclusions: "Isolated" anti-52 kDa SSA/Ro antibodies were detected in approximately 0.5% of standard anti-ENA requests, in which their presence was generally not associated with underlying SS or SLE. In view of the increased testing complexity and costs in detecting and confirming these antibodies, specific testing for isolated a-SSA Ro52 antibodies during standard anti-ENA testing seems to be of limited clinical value in a non-obstetric population.

Abbreviations: ANA, antinuclear antibody; a-SSA/Ro52, anti-52 kDa SSA/Ro antibodies; CIEP, counter-current immunoelectrophoresis; ENA, extractable nuclear antigen; IIF, indirect immunofluorescence; LIA, line immunoassay; PAH, Princess Alexandra Hospital; RBWH, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospitals; RCPA QCP, quality assurance programme of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia; RNP, ribonucleoprotein; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; SS, Sjögren’s syndrome

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

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Hervier, B., Rimbert, M., Colonna, F., Hamidou, M. A., Audrain, M. (2009). Clinical significance of anti-Ro/SSA-52 kDa antibodies--a retrospective monocentric study. Rheumatology (Oxford) 0: kep145v1-kep145 [Abstract] [Full Text]