[Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in patients with diffuse diseases of connective tissue].

Aim: To investigate the significance of antibodies against neutrophil cytoplasmic antigens (ANCA) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SS), their relations with the syndromes and laboratory indices.

Material And Methods: The sera from 277 patients suffering from connective tissue disease and 31 healthy persons were examined. Of patients, 103, 126 and 48 had RA, SLE and SS, respectively.