Of 207 adult patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, detection of autoantibodies by RNA immunoprecipitation showed that 99 patients (48%) were antibody-positive. We divided these 99 into five subgroups: anti-signal recognition particle (SRP), anti-aminoacyl transfer RNA synthetase, anti-Ku, anti-U1RNP, and anti-SSA/B. Younger age at onset, severe weakness, muscle atrophy, elevated creatine kinase, and necrosis in muscle fibers without inflammatory cell infiltration were found significantly more frequently among the patients with anti-SRP antibodies (n=41) compared to the antibody-negative patients (n=108). Autoantibody detection by RNA immunoprecipitation can provide useful information associated with clinical and histological findings.
Keywords: Autoantibodies; Inflammatory myopathies; Muscle biopsy; Necrotizing myopathy; RNA immunoprecipitation; Signal recognition particle.
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