Background: Antihistone antibodies (AHA) are usually considered the serological marker of drug-induced lupus erythematosus, but recently they have been found in patients with systemic scleroderma (SSc) and morphea.
Objective and methods: We determined AHA in 43 patients with SSc, 4 patients with overlap syndrome and 11 with morphea.
Results and conclusions: AHA were demonstrated in 41.8% of the SSc patients and in 36.3% of the morphea patients. Only 1 patient with overlap syndrome had AHA. Our SSc patients with AHA had frequent cardiac and renal involvements suggesting a prognostic value of AHA. In our morphea patients AHA did not correlate with clinical features.