Anti neutrophlic cytoplasmic antibodies in patients with systemic vasculitis

الملخص EN

To evaluate the prevalence of ANCA antibodies in patients with systemic vasculitis and to compare that to its prevalence in patients with different rheumatic diseases and in normal healthy control subjects.

Fifty patients with systemic vasculitis and fifty patients with different rheumatic diseases and one hundred healthy control persons, have been tested for the presence of ANCA antibodies “Anti PR3” and “Anti MPO” by ELISA technique in central public health laboratory in Baghdad-Iraq.

Seventeen patients out of fifty patients 34% with systemic vasculitis were found to be positive for ANCA antibodies ,nine patients were positive for c.ANCA “ Anti - PR3 ”, eight patients were positive for p.ANCA “Anti-MPO” and two patients were positive for both types with specificity of “99%” and sensitivity of 34%.

All fifty patients with different rheumatic disease were negative for ANCA antibodies, and also the healthy control persons were negative except one who was positive for c.ANCA “Anti-PR3”.

ANCA antibodies should be looked for in all patients with suspected vasculitis , their absence will not rule it out, the test through not highly sensitive 34% however it is highly specific 99% and should alert the attending physician towards further investigation including histopatho-logical tissue diagnosis