Sputum Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies in Serum Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody–Negative Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis

What is it about?

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, formerly called as Churg-Strauss syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disorder where the body attacks itself and leads to injury to essential organs such as the heart, lungs, skin, kidneys, etc. Presence of antibodies against neutrophils (a type of white blood cells) called anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) are detectable in the blood of 40% of these patients and can be used to describe how the disease develops. However, a large proportion of patients do not have these antibodies detectable in the blood, and therefore their diagnosis becomes difficult. We for the first time, report that ANCA is present in the sputum, irrespective of whether or not they are found in the blood. Further, the presence of ANCA is associated with more lung-related complications in these patients and it might be because of the direct injury caused by the presence of these antibodies in the airways.

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