Rheumatoid factor
• | most RF’s are IgM directed against the Fc portion of IgG |
• | high titers tend to correlate with severe disease |
• | but not useful to assess disease activity (ESR is better) |
Scl 70 antibodies
• | diffuse scleroderma (specific but not sensitive for); incidence 10-20% |
• | = enzyme topoisomerase I |
Myositis specific antibodies
Jo1
• | directed against histydyl t-RNA synthetase |
• | detected in a small number of patients with dermatomyositis (and polymyositis) |
• | presence suggests aggressive disease, including interstitial lung disease |
|