Figure 5.
Correlations of 3 Lyme disease autoantibody absorbance values in serum with histologic findings in synovial tissue in 13 patients with antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis (LA) in whom synovectomies were performed. (Synovial fluid was not available in all patients.) The autoantibody absorbance values and histologic findings were each ranked by independent observers from 1 to 13, with 13 being the highest rank. The ranks of absorbance values and histologic findings were correlated using Spearman’s correlation test. Significant correlations are shown with bold type. IgG4 antibodies to each of the 3 autoantigens correlated directly with fibrosis staining and obliterative microvascular lesions, whereas IgG3 antibodies to obliterative microvascular lesions correlated inversely. Matrix metalloproteinase-10 = MMP-10, endothelial cell growth factor = ECGF, apolipoprotein B-100 = apoB-100.