Clinical Features
MCTD combines features of scleroderma, myositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis (with some sources adding polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and inclusion body myositis) and is thus considered an overlap syndrome.
MCTD commonly causes:
- joint pain/swelling,
- malaise,
- Raynaud phenomenon,
- Sjögren's syndrome,
- muscle inflammation, and
- sclerodactyly (thickening of the skin of the pads of the fingers)
Distinguishing laboratory characteristics are a positive, speckled anti-nuclear antibody and an anti-U1-RNP antibody.
It has been associated with HLA-DR4.
The prognosis for MCTD tends to be better than other autoimmune diseases due to lack of renal disease and response to corticosteroids.
Read more about this topic: Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
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