POLSKIE ARCHIWUM MEDYCYNY WEWNĘTRZNEJ 2016; 126 (11) 862 pain, and fbromyalgia. Several studies have de‑ scribed the efects of various organ‑specifc an‑ tibodies on the course of rheumatic diseases. 1-4 Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterized by vascular abnormalities, multiorgan fbrosis, and immune system altera‑ tions with overproduction of non‑organ‑specifc antibodies. 5 SSc is known to be frequently accom‑ panied by other non‑organ‑ and organ‑specifc au‑ toimmune disorders, as they share genetic and possibly environmental factors. 6,7 Tere are nu‑ merous studies describing the coexistence of au‑ toimmune thyroid diseases (ATDs), autoimmune pancreatic, intestinal, and hepatic diseases, or primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) with SSc. 8-13 ATD INTRODUCTION Systemic connective tissue dis‑ eases are characterized by the presence of non‑ ‑organ‑specifc autoantibodies, directed against all tissues, and organ‑specifc autoantibodies, di‑ rected against individual organs. Polyautoimmu‑ nity is essential for the clinical picture as well as the course of connective tissue diseases and is still being investigated. 1,2 Numerous studies have described various clinical consequences resulting from the presence of organ‑specifc antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren syndrome. Te presence of these antibodies can signifcantly alter the course of the underlying diseases and enhance the symptoms of the mus‑ culoskeletal system, generalized joint or muscle ORIGINAL ARTICLE Presence of organ‑specifc antibodies in patients with systemic sclerosis Ewa Wielosz 1 , Maria Majdan 1 , Arkadiusz Koszarny 1 , Magdalena Dryglewska 1 , Jacek Tabarkiewicz 2 1 Department of Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland 2 Centre for Innovative Research in Medical and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rzeszow, Rzeszów, Poland Correspondence to: Ewa Wielosz, MD, PhD, Klinika Reumatologii i Układowych Chorób Tkanki Łącznej, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie, ul. Jaczewskiego 8, 20-090 Lublin, Poland, phone: +48 81 724 47 90, e-mail: ewa.wielosz@wp.pl Received: May 10, 2016. Revision accepted: October 5, 2016. Published online: October 5, 2016. Conflict of interest: none declared. Pol Arch Med Wewn. 2016; 126 (11): 862-869 doi:10.20 452/pamw.3583 Copyright by Medycyna Praktyczna, Kraków 2016 KEY WORDS antithyroid antibodies, autoimmune thyroid disease, systemic sclerosis ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION According to the literature, organ‑specific antibodies may be present in the course of systemic sclerosis (SSc). OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of antithyroid antibodies (antithyroid peroxidase antibodies [anti‑TPO] and antithyroglobulin antibodies) and of antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs), as well as to evaluate their clinical significance in patients with SSc. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study involved 86 consecutive in‑hospital patients with SSc (32 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc [dcSSc] and 54 with limited cutaneous SSc [lcSSc]). Patients were observed for autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATDs) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Serum samples were ob‑ tained from each patient. RESULTS Positive antithyroid antibody titers were observed in 27 patients (31%) and positive AMA titers—in 11 patients (13%). ATD was diagnosed in 26 patients (30%) and PBC—in 10 patients (12%) with SSc. No significant differences in the prevalence of antithyroid antibodies were found between pa‑ tients with dcSSc and those with lcSSc, but the prevalence of AMAs was significantly higher in patients with lcSSc compared with those with dcSSc. The prevalence of anti‑Ro ‑52 antibodies was significantly higher in the SSc group with positive anti‑TPO antibody titers compared with the SSc group with negative anti‑TPO antibody titers. The prevalence of anticentromere antibodies (ACAs) was significantly higher in the SSc group with positive AMA titers compared with the SSc group with negative AMA titers. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of organ‑specific antibodies in SSc patients is relatively high. The preva‑ lence of AMAs is higher in patients with lcSSc than in those with dcSSc and is strongly associated with the presence of ACAs. Patients with SSc should be evaluated for coexisting ATDs and PBC.