Mnemonic

Autoantibody Associations

A memory aid for which autoantibody points to which disease.

Expansion

Antinuclear antibody first, then the specific antibodies

Expansion

Connective tissue disease

Antibody Association
ANA Sensitive but non-specific screen for lupus and connective tissue disease
Anti-dsDNA Lupus, specific, and correlates with renal activity
Anti-Smith Lupus, highly specific, insensitive
Anti-histone Drug induced lupus
Anti-Ro and anti-La Sjögren’s, subacute cutaneous lupus, congenital heart block
Anti-centromere Limited systemic sclerosis (CREST)
Anti-Scl-70 (topoisomerase) Diffuse systemic sclerosis, lung fibrosis
Anti-RNA polymerase III Systemic sclerosis, renal crisis
Anti-Jo-1 Antisynthetase syndrome, myositis with lung disease
Anti-U1-RNP Mixed connective tissue disease

Rheumatoid: rheumatoid factor is sensitive but non-specific, raised in Sjögren’s, endocarditis, hepatitis C and in healthy older people; anti-CCP is far more specific and predicts erosive disease.

Vasculitis

  • cANCA / anti-PR3: granulomatosis with polyangiitis
  • pANCA / anti-MPO: microscopic polyangiitis, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis

Organ specific

  • Anti-TPO and anti-thyroglobulin: Hashimoto’s; TSH receptor antibody: Graves'
  • Anti-mitochondrial: primary biliary cholangitis
  • Anti-smooth muscle and anti-LKM: autoimmune hepatitis
  • Anti-tissue transglutaminase with total IgA: coeliac disease
  • Anti-GBM: Goodpasture’s
  • Anti-acetylcholine receptor and anti-MuSK: myasthenia gravis
  • Anti-intrinsic factor and anti-parietal cell: pernicious anaemia

Antiphospholipid antibodies (lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin, anti-beta-2 glycoprotein I) must be positive on two occasions 12 weeks apart to be meaningful, since transient positivity is common with infection.