Anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase antibodies in clinical course prediction of interstitial lung disease complicated with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

• Published in: Autoimmunity (Chur, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2006-05, Vol.39 (3), p.233-241
• Main Authors: Yoshifuji, Hajime, Fujii, Takao, Kobayashi, Shio, Imura, Yoshitaka, Fujita, Yoshimasa, Kawabata, Daisuke, Usui, Takashi, Tanaka, Masao, Nagai, Sonoko, Umehara, Hisanori, Mimori, Tsuneyo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases - immunology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - administration & dosage; anti-synthetase syndrome; Autoantibodies - blood; autoantibody; Biological and medical sciences; corticosteroid; dermatomyositis; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; General aspects; Humans; Immunopathology; Immunoprecipitation; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - complications; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - drug therapy; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - physiopathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Myositis - complications; Myositis - diagnosis; Myositis - physiopathology; Polymyositis; Prednisolone - administration & dosage; prognosis
• ISSN: 0891-6934; 1607-842X
• DOI: 10.1080/08916930600622884

In the treatment of polymyositis and dermatomyositis (PM/DM), the complication of interstitial lung disease (ILD) is an important prognostic factor. It has been reported that autoantibodies against aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARS) are strongly associated with ILD. The aim of this study is to examine the correlation between anti-ARS and the clinical course of ILD. We investigated 41 cases of PM/DM with ILD. The response of ILD to corticosteroids (CS) was determined according to the change in respiratory symptoms, image findings, and pulmonary function between, before and 2 months after the treatment. Anti-ARS (anti-Jo-1, PL-7, PL-12, EJ, OJ and KS) antibodies were screened with the RNA immunoprecipitation assay. In the stratification into ILD-preceding, simultaneous and myopathy-preceding types, anti-ARS antibodies were significantly frequent in the ILD-preceding type (p < 0.05). In the stratification into anti-ARS-positive and negative groups, the response of ILD to CS was significantly better in the positive group (p < 0.05). However, recurrence of ILD was significantly more frequent in the positive group (p < 0.01), and 2 year prognoses of pulmonary function (%VC and %DLCO) were not different between the two groups. In conclusion, screening of anti-ARS may be useful to predict late-onset myopathy in ILD-preceding patients and to predict the clinical course of ILD in PM/DM patients.