Anti-Centromere Antibodies (ACA)

Anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) occur in CREST syndrome and occasionally in systemic scleroderma. They are very rare in other rheumatic conditions and in healthy persons. Anti-centromere antibodies are found in approximately 60% of patients with CREST and in 15% of those with scleroderma. Anti-centromere antibodies present early in the course of disease is notably predictive of limited cutaneous involvement and a decreased likelihood of interstitial lung disease.When present in primary biliary cirrhosis, ACA are prognostic of portal hypertension. The ACA were present infrequently in Sjögren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, Graves' disease, immune haemolytic anaemia, and vitiligo. Sera from 107 patients with various other autoimmune diseases were negative for ACA.