Latent autoimmunity across disease-specific boundaries in at-risk first-degree relatives of SLE and RA patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Autoimmune disease prevention requires tools to assess an individual's risk of developing a specific disease. One tool is disease-associated autoantibodies, which accumulate in an asymptomatic preclinical period. However, patients sometimes exhibit autoantibodies associated with a different disease classification. When and how these alternative autoantibodies first appear remain unknown. This cross-sectional study characterizes alternative autoimmunity, and associated genetic and environmental factors, in unaffected first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients, who exhibit increased future risk for the same disease.

Methods

Samples (n = 1321) from disease-specific autoantibody-positive (aAb+) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and type 1 d

SUBMITTER: James JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6491794 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature