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Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is characterized by antibodies against ribonucleoprotein U1 (anti-U1RNP) plus clinical features of one or more differentiated connective tissue diseases. Because patients with MCTD sometimes evolve to meet criteria for more-differentiated connective tissue diseases, some people consider the diagnosis to be controversial. In this retrospective study from 13 centers in France, researchers describe 330 patients who met at least one published set of diagnostic criteria for MCTD (four have been proposed over the years), and who initially did not meet standard criteria for a differentiated connective tissue disease.
Findings were as follows:
Median age at diagnosis was 35; 88% of patients were women.
By definit…