Autoantibodies in childhood scleroderma

The clinical presentation of scleroderma in childhood is even more varied than in adult life. This study of 19 children shows that antinuclear antibodies (ANA) detected on the HEp2 cell substrate are just as common as in the adult disorders. All seven children with diffuse scleroderma or acrosclerosis were ANA positive, as were eight of the 12 with more localised disease. Antinucleolar antibodies were particularly frequent (58% overall), but anticentromere antibody was not observed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for antibodies to collagen types I-V, in contrast to adult scleroderma, gave normal results in all childhood cases.