antiendothelial cell antibody


antiendothelial cell antibody

An autoantibody present in the serum of patients with a variety of autoimmune diseases, including scleroderma (systemic sclerosis), systemic lupus erythematosus, interstitial lung diseases, and sarcoidosis. They attach to antigens on the cells that line blood vessels and injure those cells, producing blood vessel injury and inflammation (vasculitis). See also: antibody