Undifferentiated connective tissue disease

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease
Other nameslatent Lupus, incomplete lupus
SpecialtyImmunology, rheumatology Edit this on Wikidata
Symptomsdry eyes, dry mouth, hair loss, joint inflammation, joint pain, mouth ulcers, positive ANA test, raynaud's phenomenon, sun-sensitive rash...

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) (also known as latent lupus or incomplete lupus[1]) is a disease in which the connective tissues are targeted by the immune system. It is a serological and clinical manifestation of an autoimmune disease. When there is proof of an autoimmune disease, but the disease does not correspond to any specific autoimmune disease (such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), scleroderma,[2] mixed connective tissue disease, Sjögren syndrome, systemic sclerosis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, or rheumatoid arthritis), it will be diagnosed as UCTD. This is also the case of major rheumatic diseases whose early phase was defined by LeRoy et al[3] in 1980 as undifferentiated connective tissue disease.

The term is sometimes used interchangeably with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), as it is an overlap syndrome. However, some researchers believe that MCTD is a clinically distinct entity and is strongly associated with the presence of titer high in antibodies Ribonucleoproteins (RNP).[4]

It is estimated that up to 25% of people with systemic autoimmune disease could be considered to have UCTD.[5]

There are many people who have features of connective tissue disease, such as blood test results and external characteristics, but do not fulfill the diagnostic criteria established for any one disease. These people are considered to have undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD).[6][3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mosca_1999 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bodolay_2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Marwa_2024 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hoffman_2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lunardi_2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference UCTD_AA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).