[Clinical usefulness of determining the antibodies to soluble nuclear antigens in various collagen diseases].

The purpose of the study was evaluation of the clinical usefulness of determination of antibodies to soluble nuclear antigens. The study was carried out in 71 cases of various collagen diseases. Antibodies dsDNA (IIF method with Crithidium luciliae as substrate) were found only in patients with SLE and renal involvement. RNP antibodies (double immunodiffusion method) were demonstrated in 83.3% of cases of mixed connective tissue disease, and Sm antibodies in 8% of SLE patients. It is worth stressing that in the presented material Sm antibodies were present only in association with RNP antibodies. Antibodies Ro and/or La were present most often in the sera of patients with SCLE, while Scl 70 antibodies were a marker of systemic sclerosis, more frequent in patients with diffuse scleroderma, while their demonstration in acroscleroderma suggested a more severe course of the disease. The study showed a high diagnostic and prognostic value of antibodies to soluble nuclear antigens in collagen diseases.