La Revue de médecine interne
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HLA-A, B, C typing were performed in 72 caucasians with rheumatoid arthritis. HLA-DR typing were accomplished in 40 patients among these 72 subjects. DR4 was clearly increased with a frequency of 55 p. 100 versus 18 p. 100 in controls. ⋯ Two other HLA antigens, B40 and Cw3, were increased and their frequency was twice as high in patients as compared with controls. A synthesis of six studies published in the world confirms the elevation of B40 in this disease and later on suggests the elevation of Cw3 which is often linked with B40. The association of rheumatoid arthritis with B40 and Cw3 can be explained by a linkage disequilibrium between DR4 and B40 on the one hand, between DR4 and Cw3 on the other hand.
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We studied the predictive value of anti-SS-B antibody on 48 patients having this antibody and no other antinuclear antibody. 25 patients had a typical Sjögren syndrome and the rest had no sicca syndrome but generally an unclassified disease. Between these two groups of patients we observed an identity of clinical and biological manifestations except for the sicca syndrome. We conclude that anti-SS-B antibody is not a marker for Sjögren syndrome, but is correlated with the presence of an autoimmune disorder inconstantly associated with the sicca syndrome. This auto-immune disorder has the clinical and biological features of systemic Sjögren syndrome but the sicca syndrome.