Mixed connective tissue disease

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In medicine, mixed connective tissue disease, commonly abbreviated as MCTD, is a serious autoimmune disease, in which the body's defense system attacks itself. It is also known as Sharp syndrome.

Clinical features

MCTD combines features of polymyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic scleroderma and is thus considered an overlap syndrome. MCTD commonly causes:
  • joint pain/swelling,
  • malaise,
  • Raynaud phenomenon,
  • muscle inflammation, and
  • scarring of the skin of the hand.
    • It does not typically cause kidney disease or seizures. Distinguishing laboratory characteristics are a positive, speckled anti-nuclear antibody and an anti-U1-RNP antibody.

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