PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Takashi Matsushita AU - Minoru Hasegawa AU - Manabu Fujimoto AU - Yasuhito Hamaguchi AU - Kazuhiro Komura AU - Takashi Hirano AU - Mayuka Horikawa AU - Miki Kondo AU - Hidemitsu Orito AU - Kenzo Kaji AU - Yuki Saito AU - Yukiyo Matsushita AU - Shigeru Kawara AU - Masahide Yasui AU - Mariko Seishima AU - Shoichi Ozaki AU - Masataka Kuwana AU - Fumihide Ogawa AU - Shinichi Sato AU - Kazuhiko Takehara TI - Clinical evaluation of anti-aminoacyl tRNA synthetase antibodies in Japanese patients with dermatomyositis. DP - 2007 May 01 TA - The Journal of Rheumatology PG - 1012--1018 VI - 34 IP - 5 4099 - http://www.jrheum.org/content/34/5/1012.short 4100 - http://www.jrheum.org/content/34/5/1012.full SO - J Rheumatol2007 May 01; 34 AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution of anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (anti-ARS) antibodies among patients with autoimmune diseases, and to analyze the clinical features of patients with dermatomyositis (DM) with anti-ARS antibodies. METHODS: Serum samples from 315 patients with autoimmune diseases or related disorders who had visited Kanazawa University Hospital or affiliated facilities were assessed for anti-ARS antibodies by immunoprecipitation. In particular, the association between anti-ARS antibodies and clinical features was investigated in detail in patients with DM. RESULTS: Anti-ARS antibody was positive in 16 (29%) of 55 patients with DM, 2 (22%) of 9 patients with polymyositis, and 7 (25%) of 28 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Although anti-ARS antibody was detected with high frequency (63%, 15/24) in DM patients with interstitital lung disease (ILD), the incidence of anti-ARS antibody was very low (3%, 1/31) in DM patients without ILD. Anti-ARS antibody-positive patients with DM had significantly higher incidences of ILD (94% vs 23%) and fever (64% vs 10%) than the antibody-negative patients. Some immunosuppressive agents, in addition to oral corticosteroids, were required more frequently in the antibody-positive patients with DM than the antibody-negative patients (88% vs 26%). Although 60% of DM patients with ILD simultaneously developed ILD and myositis, ILD preceded myositis in 33% of patients. CONCLUSION: Among patients with DM, anti-ARS antibodies are found in a subset with ILD. DM patients with anti-ARS antibodies appear to have a more persistent disease course that requires additional therapy compared to those without anti-ARS antibodies.