Coexistence of Autoantibodies against the Golgi Complex and Ro52 Antigen in a Patient with Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia

• Published in: Internal Medicine Vol. 55; no. 3; pp. 273 - 278
• Main Authors: Andrejevic, Sladjana, Milenkovic, Branislava, Stojsic, Jelena, Stevic, Ruza, Bonaci-Nikolic, Branka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Adrenal Cortex Hormones - administration & dosage; anti-Golgi complex antibodies; Autoantibodies - immunology; Biopsy; Cough - etiology; Dyspnea - etiology; Fluoroimmunoassay; Golgi Apparatus - immunology; Humans; Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias - diagnosis; Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias - etiology; Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias - immunology; Lung - pathology; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - complications; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - diagnosis; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - immunology; Male; Middle Aged; nonspecific interstitial pneumonia; Ribonucleoproteins - immunology; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 0918-2918; 1349-7235
• DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.55.3832

Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) is often associated with connective tissue diseases (CTD). The diagnosis of NSIP was confirmed in a 63-year-old man by high-resolution computed tomography and an open lung biopsy. Anti-Golgi complex autoantibodies (AGA) and anti-Ro52 antibodies were simultaneously detected at high concentrations. Autoantibodies to aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARS) were negative. The patient was treated with corticosteroids for six months. During the seven-year follow-up, NSIP had a slow progression and patient had not developed the clinical features of CTD. The present study potentially demonstrates that the autoimmune process elicited by AGA and/or Ro/SSA may play a role in promoting idiopathic NSIP independently of the typical ARS routes, which has not been reported thus far.