Clinical and Serological Features of Patients with anti-Jo-1

Abstract

Objective: To elucidate the clinical and serological features of patients with anti-Jo-1 antibodies. Methods: Between 2007 and 2010, patients with positive anti-Jo-1 antibodies were enrolled in a study conducted at National Taiwan University Hospital. Their clinical and serological features were obtained by reviewing medical records, laboratory databases, and image studies. Results: On the basis of the information review, 45 patients with positive anti-Jo-1 antibodies were identified. Seven patients had polymyositis, 2 patients had dermatomyositis, and 2 patients had interstitial lung disease (ILD) without evidence of myositis. The most frequent symptoms were joint manifestation and sicca syndrome: 90.9% patients in the myositis/ILD group and 32.3% patients in the non-myositis/ILD group showed joint manifestation, and 45.5% patients in the myositis/ILD group and 44.1% patients in the non-myositis/ILD group had sicca syndrome. Raynaud's phenomenon, fever, and skin rash occurred in 27.2%, 45.5%, and 36.4% of the patients in the myositis/ILD group, and in 20.5%, 17.6%, and 17.6% of the patients in the non-myositis/ILD group. Serological profiles of the patients showed positive antinuclear antibody in 22 patients and positive rheumatoid factor in 10 patients. The initial presentations of 34 patients without myositis or ILD were recorded; the presentations were very heterogeneous. Conclusion: Anti-Jo-1 antibody is one of the most important autoantibodies in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. In our study, patients with anti-Jo-1 antibodies had highly variable clinical presentations. Our findings also revealed that negative or low titers in antinuclear antibody testing could not exclude the presence of anti-Jo-1 antibody.