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. 1972 Sep;12(1):79–87.

Autoimmunity in a rural community

Belinda Hooper, Senga Whittingham, J D Mathews, I R Mackay, D H Curnow
PMCID: PMC1553644  PMID: 4563336

Abstract

As part of a long term prospective study, sera from 3492 subjects, over 90% of the adult population of the rural Australian town of Busselton, were tested by indirect immunofluorescence for various autoantibodies, and by latex particle agglutination for rheumatoid factor. Autoantibodies were detected in 21·6% of all subjects and the overall prevalence increased with age in both sexes. A dip in the age prevalence curve of autoantibodies amongst subjects aged 75–80 years preceded a terminal sharp rise. The greater prevalence in females, 27·5%, than in males, 13·7%, was accounted for by autoantibodies to nuclei, gastric parietal cells and thyroid epithelial cells; the prevalence of smooth muscle antibody (SMA) and rheumatoid factor (RF) was similar in females and males, and the prevalence of SMA did not increase with age. Thus development of `age-sex dependent' autoantibodies, to gastric and thyroid antigens, may have a considerable genetic component, whereas the non `age-sex dependent' autoantibodies, SMA and RF, may have a considerable extrinsic component, e.g. infection. Autoantibodies were associated in two groups, a `nuclear' group and a `thyrogastric' group; these groups were neither positively nor negatively associated, implying independent genetic or other causes for their appearance.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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