TY - JOUR T1 - Serologic Profile and Mortality Rates of Scleroderma Renal Crisis in Italy JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1464 LP - 1469 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.080806 VL - 36 IS - 7 AU - VERONICA CODULLO AU - ILARIA CAVAZZANA AU - CLAUDIA BONINO AU - CLAUDIA ALPINI AU - LORENZO CAVAGNA AU - FRANCO COZZI AU - NICOLETTA DEL PAPA AU - FRANCO FRANCESCHINI AU - SERENA GUIDUCCI AU - GABRIELLA MOROZZI AU - AMELIA RUFFATTI AU - CLODOVEO FERRI AU - ROBERTO GIACOMELLI AU - MARCO MATUCCI-CERINIC AU - GABRIELE VALENTINI AU - CARLOMAURIZIO MONTECUCCO Y1 - 2009/07/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/36/7/1464.abstract N2 - Objective. To analyze clinical and serological characteristics of subjects with scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) in Italian patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods. A retrospective analysis of medical records from 9 Italian rheumatologic referral centers was carried out. All patients with SRC and an available serum sample at the time of crisis were included. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) by indirect immunofluorescence, anti-topoisomerase (topo) I by enzyme-linked assay (ELISA), anti-RNA polymerases (RNAP) by ELISA for the subunit III, and immunoprecipitation (IP) were performed. Results. Forty-six cases (38 female; 40 diffuse cutaneous SSc) were identified. Mean age at SSc and SRC onset was 52.8 years ± 13.2 and 55.4 years ± 11.8, respectively. ANA were present in 44 patients (96%). Anti-topo I antibodies were detected in 30 (65%), anti-RNAP I–III in 7 (15%). No differences emerged between these 2 groups for their main clinical characteristics. The proportion of patients in the anti-RNAP I–III group developing SRC early (< 18 mo) in the course of SSc was significantly higher (p = 0.03). Cumulative survival rates were 64%, 53%, and 35% at 1, 2, and 10 years of followup, respectively. Survival rates of SSc patients significantly differed according to their autoantibody profile, being lower in the anti-topo I than in the anti-RNAP I–III group (p = 0.034). Conclusion. SRC is a rare manifestation of SSc in Italy but it is still associated with severe prognosis. Anti-topo I reactivity was more frequent than anti-RNAP I–III in our patients with SRC and was associated with delayed onset and high mortality rates. ER -