[Rheumatoid arthritis with antinuclear factor. A prospective study of 50 cases (author's transl)]

The clinical and laboratory features of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with antinuclear factor (ANF) were prospectively analyzed in 50 patients and compared with those of another series of 50 patients of similar age, sex and duration of disease, but without ANF. The severity of articular lesions was about the same in both series, but systemic symptoms and Gougerot-Sjögren syndrome occurred more frequently in patients with ANF. Gold compounds and D-penicillamine appeared to be well tolerated by all patients. RA patients with ANF had more strongly positive responses to latex and Waaler-Rose tests. Farr's radioimmunoassay was sometimes positive (11/49), but as a rule, the degree of positivity was inferior to 50%.