Full Length Research Paper

Association of ribosomal anti-P antibodies with different parameters of lupus

Nageen Hussain¹ Ghazala Jaffery² and Shahida Hasnain¹

¹Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, University of the Punjab, Lahore-Pakistan.

²Department of Pathology, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore-Pakistan.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: nageen1704@hotmail.com.

Abbreviations: ANA, Antinuclear antibodies; SSA/SSB, Also referred as Ro, La; Sm, After the name Smith; CRP,  C - Reactive Protein; ESR, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate; C3/C4, Complement proteins.

Accepted 5 November, 2008

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is an autoimmune multisystem disorder with protean manifestations and variable behavior. The main objectives of this study are to verify the association of ribosomal anti-P antibodies with neuropsychiatric lupus manifestations and to find out the relationship of ribosomal anti-P antibodies with other autoimmune parameters of lupus. Ribosomal anti-P antibodies were evaluated in the serum of 41 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients as well as ANA, dsDNA, anti-Sm, anti-SSA, anti-SSB, anti-histone by an indirect ELISA technique. Apart from Immunological tests, we also studied hematological parameters and biochemical parameters. Of the 41 SLE patients, ribosomal anti-P antibodies were significantly elevated in the sera of 6 lupus patients suffering from severe depression, anxiety, headache and lupus psychosis. Immunological parameters like ANA, dsDNA were positive in 100% of the Anti-Rib-P positive patients; but 66.6% were positive for SSA, only 33.3% for Sm,  and none of them were positive for anti-histone and SSB. Biochemical parameters like urea, creatinine were higher than the normal range in 66.6% of the anti-P positive lupus patients, suggestive of lupus nephritis.

Key words: Systemic lupus erythematosus, ribosomal anti-P antibodies, lupus nephritis, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, neuropsychiatric manifestations, psychosis.