Value of P-anca as a marker for evaluation of renal affection in rheumatoid arthritis

الملخص EN

This study was conducted on thirty patients suffering of rheumatoid arthritis.

P-ANCA, a recent marker for renal affection was studied to evaluate its diagnostic and prognostic validity.

Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of microalbuminuria in the morning sample.

Various laboratory and radiological investigations were also done.

Renal biopsy was obtained from 8 patients with microalbuminuria and examined microscopically.

The incidence of P-ANCA was found to be higher in patients with microalbuminuria than in those without, but this was of no statistical significance.

Serum creatinine was higher in patients with microalbuminuria and the difference was of statistical significance (p<0.05).

Renal biopsy was diagnostic in 5 out of the 8 patients and 3 of these patients were P-ANCA positive.

The positivity of P-ANCA was independent of the histopathological findings.

The incidence of P-ANCA positivity was higher in patients with long standing rheumatoid disease and in patients with extra articular manifestations and the difference was of a high statistical significance.

The results showed that P-ANCA may be used as an indicator for renal affection in rheumatoid disease but renal biopsy is needed to diagnose the histopathological lesion that is important for the management.

More studies are required to evaluate the role of P-ANCA in determining the course of rheumatoid arthritis and its relation to disease activity.