[Renal histology in 44 patients with specific antibodies of soluble nuclear antigens]

The authors studied the correlations between renal histology and specific antinuclear antibodies of soluble nuclear antigens (anti-Sm, anti-RNP, anti-protein) in 44 patients with such auto-antibodies. They were mostly patients with lupus erythematosus (35/44), more rarely mixed collagen disease or Sjögren's disease. The presence of any one of the specific antibodies of nuclear antigens is not associated with any special renal prognosis; thus the presence of anti-RNP does not mean that there are no histological renal lesions. The renal prognosis depends in fact on the presence of anti-ADN native antibodies. Among the other laboratory parameters (rheumatoid factors, complement levels, cryoglobulinemia) only hypocomplementemia seems to be associated with a poor renal prognosis, the presence of rheumatoid factor has perhaps a protective role.