Based on the observation that the VCP protein is mutated in a form of inclusion myopathy ( IBM) and that it is sometimes present in muscle biopsies of IBM or other inflammatory myopathies, American researchers carried out a comparative immunological profile on 456 patients or healthy subjects.
- Of the 73 patients diagnosed with sporadic IBM, 26% (19/73) had positive autoantibodies to the VCP protein.
- These antibodies were 87% specific and had a predictive value in 28% of cases.
- In 11 of the 73 patients, there was a concomitant presence of anti-VCP antibodies and anti-NT5c1A antibodies, the latter also being an inconsistent marker of inclusion myositis.
These very interesting results will improve the positive diagnosis of inclusion myositis, which is still awaiting discriminating biomarkers.
