AUTOANTIBODY PATTERN IN SCLERITIS AND EPI SCLERITIS

Background: Episcleritis and scleritis can be caused by various system ic disorders, which can be triggered by infectious diseases. We studie d the autoantibody pattern against various organ-specific and non-orga n-specific antigens in episcleritis and scleritis patients. Material a nd methods: Sera from 46 patients (episcleritis n = 28, scleritis n = 18) were studied for antibodies against nuclei, smooth muscle cells, m itochondria, endothelial cells, sarcolemma, liver cells, heart muscle fibrils, parietal cells and thyroid cells by immunofluorescence testin g. Titers of antibodies against thyroglobulin, laminin, keratin and mi crosomes were evaluated by ELISA. Results: In patients with episclerit is the pattern of autoantibodies found was different from that in scle ritis patients. Thus,in episcleritis the levels of antibodies against sarcolemma (32%), parietal cells (25%), laminin (38%), keratin (58%) a nd microsomes (28%) were elevated, while scleritis patients, besides k eratin antibodies (50%), demonstrated anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) in 28% of cases. These differences were not significant. Approximately 5 % of normal control patients show these antibodies. Conclusions: Previ ous studies have shown that episcleritis rarely develops into scleriti s. Our results suggest that this may be due to different underlying di seases. While 28% of scleritis patients had ANA, which may suggest an autoimmune disposition related to collagenosis, episcleritis patients had a different autoantibody pattern such as has been found in various infectious diseases and diseases for which triggering by infectious o rganisms seems possible, such as anterior uveitis, ankylosing spondyli tis and Behcet disease. Investigations in larger groups of patients ar e needed to check the statistical significance of these differences.