Antinuclear antibodies in autoimmune disease. Significance and pathogenicity.

A large number of antigen-antibody systems have been described in association with connective tissue diseases. However, with the exception of antibodies to dsDNA, none of them have yet been successfully implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. It is also unclear why specific ANA are associated just with certain diseases, for example, anti-Sm with systemic lupus erythematosus. Although many questions remain about what triggers ANA production and whether these antibodies are innocent bystanders or disease inducers or enhancers, ANA serology can still be very useful to the clinician.