Antinuclear antibodies and PHA response in rheumatoid arthritis

: We have studied the in vitro PHA response of two groups of rheumatoid arthritis patients differing only in the presence or absence of antinuclear antibodies. The response was depressed in positive patients and normal in negative patients. Differences in peripheral blood mononuclear cell sub-populations or lymphocytotoxic antibodies do not seem to explain this observation. Simple antinuclear antibody screening could serve as a simple method to identify a sub-group of immunodepressed rheumatoid patients as potential candidates for immunostimulating therapy.