Tt. Provost et al., SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ANTI-RO(SS-A) ANTIBODY IN EVALUATION OF PATIENTS WITH CUTANEOUS MANIFESTATIONS OF A CONNECTIVE-TISSUE DISEASE, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 35(2), 1996, pp. 147-169
The anti-Ro(SS-A) antibody is arguably the most important antibody det
ermination except for antinuclear antibodies in evaluation of patients
suspected of having lupus erythematosus. During the past 25 years, st
udies have established the importance of this antibody in the evaluati
on of patients with atypical lupus erythematosus, who have a photosens
itive dermatitis as the presenting sign. The purpose of this review is
to demonstrate the utility and the necessity of this antibody determi
nation in the evaluation of all patients with cutaneous manifestations
who are suspected of having a connective tissue disease.