ABSENCE OF ANTI-NEUTROPHIL CYTOPLASMIC ANTIBODIES (ANCA) IN BEHCET'S SYNDROME WITH LARGE VESSEL INVOLVEMENT

Background: Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) are generally told to be infrequent in Behçet's syndrome (BS). However, there are occasional reports of their presence (1).Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of ANCAs in a group of patients with BS all with bone fide vasculitis in the form of large vessel involvement.Methods: The sera of 48 consecutive patients with BS with large vessel involvement, seven patients with Wegener granulomatosis, and 10 healthy staff were studied for the presence of the cytoplasmic and perinuclear pattern of ANCA by indirect immunofluoresance (IIF). The sera were also examined for antibodies against proteinase 3 (anti-PR3) and myeloperoxidase (anti-MPO) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: None of the sera from the patients with BS and healthy controls had detectable ANCAs while all positive control sera from patients with Wegener granulomatosis showed ANCA positivity in some form.Conclusion: This study confirms that there are no detectable ANCAs in patients with BS, even among patients with bone fide vasculitis in the form of large vessel involvement.1. Vaiopoulos G et al. Br J Rheumatol, 19941. Vaiopoulos G et al. Br J Rheumatol, 1994Citation: , volume , supplement , year 2002, page Session: Vasculitis