Association of anti-HSC70 autoantibodies with cutaneous ulceration and severe disease in juvenile dermatomyositis

Abstract Objectives JDM is an inflammatory myopathy characterized by prominent vasculopathy. AECAs are frequently detected in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We sought to determine whether AECAs correlate with clinical features of JDM, and thus serve as biomarkers to guide therapy or predict outcome. Methods Plasma samples from 63 patients with JDM, 49 patients with polyarticular JIA and 40 juvenile healthy controls were used to detect anti-heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein (HSC70) autoantibodies, a newly identified AECA, in ELISA assays. Clinical features were compared between JDM patients with and without anti-HSC70 autoantibodies. Results Anti-HSC70 autoantibodies were detected in 35% of patients with JDM, in 0% of patients with JIA (P