Objective: To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD).
Methods: Clinical, laboratory and instrumental examination information of 91 patients with MCTD,who were diagnosed between 1990 to 2008 in Peking University People's Hospital, were collected and analyzed retrospectively. These patients were following-up, and different outcoms compared.
Results: The most common manifestations of MCTD patients were Raynaud phenomenon, arthralgia, arthritis, fever, acratia, positivities of antinuclear antibodies (anti-ANA) and ribosenuclear protein antibodies (anti-RNP), which were 94.5%,78%,46.2%,48.4%,53.9%,100% and 100%, respectively.Six patients died, and 22 patients were lost in the follow-up after discharge. Among the remaining 63 patients, 8 developed into systemic lupus erythomatosus (SLE), and 2 into antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis (AAV), 1 into primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS), and 2 into rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at one to six years after diagnosis of MCTD. The patients who initially manifested as alopecia, proteinuria, thrombocytopenia, low complement were more likely to develop into SLE.
Conclusion: MCTD can develop into various autoimmune diseases, such as SLE, pSS, RA, AAV. Some clinical features can probably predict future outcomes.