Correlation between various clinical parameters of systemic lupus erythematosus and levels of anti-histone and anti-chromatin antibodies

BackgroundSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the production of auto-antibodies leading to a spectrum of clinical findings. Among these auto-antibodies are anti-chromatin and anti-histone antibodies in which researches showed a renewed interest in the last few years.Aim of the workThe aim of our study was to assess the serum levels of anti-chromatin and anti-histone antibodies in patients with SLE, and to correlate them with clinical features of the disease.Patients and methodsThe study included 60 female SLE patients and 13 normal females as controls. Patients were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination, and laboratory tests. Serum anti-chromatin and anti-histone antibodies were detected using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients and controls.ResultsAnti-chromatin antibodies showed 100% sensitivity and 66.7% specificity, while anti-histone antibodies showed 100% sensitivity and 53.3% specificity. A statistically significant difference was elicited between SLE patients and controls regarding the serum levels of both antibodies. Serum levels of anti-chromatin antibodies in SLE patients were significantly correlated with the occurrence of hematological manifestations, duration of steroid therapy, and also dose and duration of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) therapy. However, no significant correlation was found between anti-histone antibodies and other parameters.ConclusionAnti-chromatin and anti-histone antibodies are both sensitive and specific for SLE and can be used not only for its diagnosis, but also for following therapeutic progress. Further studies on a large scale are needed to elucidate the effect of therapy on the serum levels of these antibodies in SLE patients.