Familial autoimmunity and polyautoimmunity in 60 Brazilian Midwest patients with systemic sclerosis
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease of unknown etiology, characterized by a triad of vascular injury, autoimmunity and tissue fibrosis. It is known that a positive family history is the greatest risk factor already identified for the development of SSc in a given individual. Preliminary observation of a high prevalence of poliautoimmunity and of familial autoimmunity in SSc patients support the idea that different autoimmune phenotypes may share common susceptibility variants. To describe the frequency of familial autoimmunity and poliautoimmunity in 60 SSc patients in the Midwest region of Brazil, as well as to report the main autoimmune diseases observed in this association of comorbidities. A cross-sectional study with recruitment of 60 consecutive patients selected at the Rheumatology Department, University Hospital, Medicine School, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (FMUFMS), as well as interviews of their relatives during the period from February 2013 to March 2014. A frequency of 43.3% of poliautoimmunity and of 51.7% of familial autoimmunity in SSc patients was found. Patients with presence of poliautoimmunity and familial autoimmunity presented primarily the diffuse form of SSc, but this indi...Continue Reading
References
Citations
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune diseases occur as a result of an attack by the immune system on the body’s own tissues resulting in damage and dysfunction. There are different types of autoimmune diseases, in which there is a complex and unknown interaction between genetics and the environment. Discover the latest research on autoimmune diseases here.