Clinical significance of antinuclear antibodies in Japanese patients with systemic sclerosis.

Clinical significance of specific antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in Japanese patients with systemic sclerosis was studied. The patients with systemic sclerosis were classified into four groups according to ANA: (1) anticentromere antibody-positive; (2) anti-Scl-70 antibody-positive; (3) anti-nRNP antibody-positive, and (4) others. The mean score (the number of positive signs in six selected specific signs) of the patients with anti-Scl-70 antibody was significantly higher than those of the other three groups. More frequent contracture of phalanges in the patients with anti-Scl-70 antibody, less diffuse pigmentation in the patients with anti-nRNP antibody, and less pulmonary fibrosis in the patients with anticentromere antibody were revealed. As shown above, the detection of specific ANA in systemic sclerosis is clinically important.