RESEARCH - Autoantibodies to TNF in patients with RA and SLE

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J Rheumatol. 2009 Apr;36(4):753-6. Epub 2009 Feb 27.

Autoantibodies to tumor necrosis factor in patients with rheumatoid

arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Rosenau BJ, Schur PH.

Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St.,

Boston, MA 02115, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To detect autoantibodies to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in

patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus

erythematosus (SLE), and to determine their clinical correlates.

METHODS: Ninety-two patients with RA and 62 with SLE were studied.

Sera were examined for autoantibodies to TNF by enzyme linked

immunoassay. Levels of these autoantibodies were analyzed in respect

to markers of inflammation such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate

(ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and joint erosions, as well as other

clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic aspects of RA and SLE.

RESULTS: Anti-TNF levels were higher in those RA patients without

erosions, but did not correlate with ESR or CRP.

CONCLUSION: These observations suggest that autoantibody anti-TNF may

be part of the innate immune system and may contribute to decreased

inflammation in patients with RA.

PMID: 19273453

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19273453

Not an MD