Women With Lupus More Likely to Have Children With Antinuclear Antibodies

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Women With Lupus More Likely to Have Children With Antinuclear Antibodies

Ann Rheum Dis 2004;63:50-53.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/466488?mpid=23146

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 29 - Children born to women with systemic

lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a high positive rate for antinuclear

antibodies (ANA), according to a new report. " These results may be

useful when informing parents about the long term impact of maternal

lupus on their children, " the researchers say.

They note in the January 2004 ls of the Rheumatic Diseases that

relatives of patients with SLE have an increased risk of developing SLE

or other autoimmune disorders and of being ANA positive. However, few

studies have examined the development or persistence of ANA positivity

among newborns of lupus patients.

Dr. A. Murashima from National Center for Child Health and Development

and colleagues at Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

measured ANA, anti-DNA, and antiphospholipid antibodies in 195 children

of patients with SLE and 57 control children and repeated the

measurements over time in 44 children of lupus patients.

Significantly more children of lupus patients (52/195, 27%) than control

children (4/57, 7%) were ANA positive, the authors report, and girls

were more likely to be positive (36%) than were boys (13%).

The prevalence of ANA positivity was higher in children older than 3

years than in children under age 3, the report indicates, and titers

were significantly higher among ANA-positive children of lupus patients

than among ANA-positive control children.

Ten of 44 children of lupus patients seen at more than one visit became

positive during the study (9 of them between age 4 and 8 years), the

researchers note, whereas 7 were continuously ANA positive and 25 were

continuously ANA-negative. One ANA-positive child younger than 6 months

at the first investigation and three older children who were

ANA-positive at some point in the study became ANA-negative during the

study.

Two children, one with neonatal lupus diagnosed at 6 months and one who

developed SLE at 18 years of age, were excluded from the longitudinal

study, the report indicates, and no other children developed clinical

lupus during the 7-year study.

Anti-DNA and anticardiolipin antibody positivity did not differ between

controls and children of lupus patients, the investigators report.

" The finding that children, especially girls, born to maternal lupus

patients had a high positive rate for ANA suggests that a genetic factor

is involved in SLE pathogenesis, " Dr. Murashima and colleagues conclude.

They add, " Further studies are necessary to know the reason why ANA are

frequently found in children born to lupus patients. The answer to this

may provide a clue to clarify the pathogenesis of SLE. "