[Anti-synthetase syndrome].

Antysynthetase syndrome is considered as a group ofidiopathic inflammatory myositis with charcteristic serologic hallmark--antibodies which recognise the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetasses (ARS). Clinical picture of those patients contains myositis and/or intersticial lung disease (ILD) and/or arthritis and/or fever and/or Raynaud phenomenon and sometimes characteristic look of mechanic's hands. Myositis can be overt, sometimes even absent, while IBP is major cause of morbidity and determines the outcome of the disease. Untill now eight different any-synthetase autoantibodies are recognised, and most frequent are findings of anti-histidyl-tRNa synthetase antibodies. Patients with other ARS autoantibodies usually have severe ILD. Drug of choice are steroids in dosage of 1 mg/kg with immunosupresive agent (azatioprin or methotrexate) while in severe IBP cyclophosphamide is needed. Recently succsesful treatment with rituximab in combination with cyclophosphamide is reported.