Analysis of clinical and pathological characteristics of anti-Ro52-positive primary biliary cholangitis

By collecting and summarizing relevant clinical data from patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), we compared the clinical and pathological characteristics between anti-Ro52-positive and anti-Ro52-negative PBC to further investigate the role of this antibody in PBC. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 53 patients with PBC treated at our hospital from January 2013 to January 2024. The cohort was divided into two groups: anti-Ro52-positive PBC ( n = 17) and anti-Ro52-negative PBC ( n = 36). General patient information, laboratory test results, and liver histopathology data were collected for each patient. In the anti-Ro52-positive PBC, skin icterus and scleral icterus were more common than in the anti-Ro52-negative PBC. Anti-Ro52-positive PBC patients exhibited lower albumin, red blood cell, and hemoglobin levels compared to anti-Ro52-negative PBC patients. Conversely, anti-Ro52-positive PBC patients demonstrated higher levels of globulin, immunoglobulin G, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and red blood cell distribution width compared to anti-Ro52-negative PBC patients. The positive rates for anti-SSA and anti-nuclear membrane antinuclear antibodies were higher in anti-Ro52-positive PBC than in anti-Ro52-negative PBC. Anti-Ro52-positive PBC patients predominantly exhibited stage S3-S4 liver fibrosis. The incidence of biochemical response after one year of ursodeoxycholic acid treatment was lower in the anti-Ro52-positive PBC than in the anti-Ro52-negative PBC. All of these differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Anti-Ro52-positive PBC patients were more likely to have bilirubin elevation, skin and sclera yellow staining, and had a tendency to hypoproteinemia and anemia. Anti-Ro52-positive had adverse effects on the prognosis and the severity of the disease of PBC patients.