ANTI-RO (SSA) ANTIBODIES IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS PATIENTS WITH GOLD-INDUCED SIDE-EFFECTS

The purpose of our study was to investigate the significance of the pr esence of anti-Re antibodies found by us in an earlier study of rheuma toid arthritis (RA) patients with gold-induced side effects. Sera of 2 9 anti-Re (SSA) positive RA patients who had gold-induced side effects were studied. All sera were examined by Western blot using recombinan t antigens, encoding the Ro 60 kD and the La proteins. HLA typing was done in all patients. Thirteen patients reacted only with the Ro 52 kD antigen and all had severe skin eruptions caused by gold therapy. Ano ther ten patients who reacted only with the Ro 60 kD antigen had other side effects to gold (six had proteinuria and four leucopenia). Six p atients who reacted to all three antigens (Re 52 kD, Ro 60 kD and La) had secondary Sjogren's syndrome. No significant statistical differenc es were noted in the incidence of HLA-DR3 between the subgroups of pat ients. Our data indicated that antibodies to the Ro 52 kD antigen are associated with skin eruptions in RA patients treated with gold.