Levels of certain antibodies are significantly associated with particular clinical characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and could be used to assess disease activity in patients, a study finds.

The study, “Antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens (ENAS) in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: correlations with clinical manifestations and disease activity,” was published in the journal Reumatismo.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease characterized by high levels of antibodies that attack the body’s own tissue — known as autoantibodies.

Because these autoantibodies contribute directly to the mechanisms involved in the development of lupus, they are thought to appear either before the onset of the disease or along with it.

Anti-extractable nuclear antigen (anti-ENA) is one of the autoantibodies present in lupus patients. These are autoantibodies in the blood that react with proteins in the cell’s nucleus.

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