Autoantibody profile in African-American patients with lupus nephritis

Abstract

Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the major risk factors for morbidity and overall mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Its pathogenesis is multifactorial, and a number of risk factors, including serological markers, have been identified in recent years, correlating with clinical course and disease severity. Furthermore, a distinctive autoantibody profile has recently been reported in African- American SLE women with LN. The aim of this study was to characterize the autoantibody profile in 222 African-American SLE patients, 94 with LN and 128 without. Only anti-dsDNA achieved statistical significance between the two groups (P < 0.05). Fourteen (14.9%) patients with LN and 15 (11.7%) without it exhibited positive anti-Ro/SS-A, anti-Sm, and anti-nRNP, but without anti-La/SS B (P > 0.6). We conclude that African-American SLE patients with LN do not exhibit a specific or distinctive autoantibody profile. However, our data confirm the value of anti-dsDNA in SLE patients with LN.