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What are the clinical and serologic characteristics of UCTD?
The most frequent manifestations of UCTD are arthralgias/arthritis, Raynaud’s phenomenon, mucocutaneous manifestations, and sicca symptoms. Major organ involvement is rare. Most patients are ANA-positive (in fact, some criteria for UCTD mandate ANA presence) but lack specific autoantibodies against Sm, dsDNA, and centromere. Some patients have anti-SSA antibodies, which correlate with sicca symptoms and mucocutaneous lesions; others have low-titer anti-RNP antibodies, which correlate with Raynaud’s phenomenon and arthritis. The following table lists the common manifestations of patients with UCTD.
Clinical and Serologic Manifestations of Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease
| Manifestation | Frequency (%) |
|---|---|
| Arthralgias/arthritis | 37–86 |
| Raynaud’s phenomenon | 33–56 |
| Sicca symptoms | 7–41 |
| Photosensitivity | 10–24 |
| Serositis | 5–16 |
| Oral ulcers | 3–27 |
| Hematologic | 11–41 |
Do any predict the future development of a defined connective tissue disease?
Certain combinations of features are predictive for the development of a defined connective tissue disease:
• Fever, serositis, and/or anti-Sm or anti-dsDNA antibodies—SLE.
• Raynaud’s phenomenon, abnormal nailfold capillaries, and nucleolar ANA—SSc.
• Xerostomia and anti-SSA/SSB antibodies—SS.
