BACKGROUND: Antinuclear antibody, anticentromere antibody, anti-cytoplasm antibody, and antibody against SCL-70 are the main self-antibodies involved in systemic scleroderma (SSc) and are closely connected with the development of SSc.OBJECTIVE: To probe the value of various self-antibodies and proteins in evaluating the functional prognosis of patients with SSc. DESIGN: Case-control study.SETTING: Clinical Laboratory of Second Hospital Affiliated to Jiangxi Medical College.PARTICIPANTS: Totally 74 patients, 19 males and 55 females aged 12-59years old, were confirmed of SSc at the outpatient and inpatient departments of Second Hospital Affiliated to Jiangxi Medical College between December 1995 and December 2004. There were 46 cases of diffuse cutaneous SSc, 24 cases of localized cutaneous SSc, and 4 cases of overlapping syndrome. Meanwhile40 inpatients (14 males and 26 females aged 19-54years old) who received treatment due to other diseases were recruited from the same hospital.METHODS: The level of antinuclear antibody, anticentromere antibody,and anti-cytoplasm antibody was detected with indirect irnmuneofluorescence assay; antibody against SCL-70 was detected with Western blot; the level of serum immunoglobulin, C-reactive protein (CRP) and rheumatoid factor was examined with velocity dispersion turbidimetry.ticentromere antibody, anti-cytoplasm antibody, and antibody against SCL-70;RESULTS: Blood samples collected from the 74 patients with SSc and 40controls were proved eligible and all data entered the final statistical analanti-cytoplasm antibody, and antibody against SCL-70: It was obviously higher in SSc group than in control group [66% (49/74), 53% (39/74), 39%(29/74), 7% (5/74), 0, (x2=57.15, P ＜ 0.01)]. The positive rate of antinuclear antibody in patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc was significantly lower than in patients with localized cutaneous SSc [57% (26/46), 83%(20/24),(x2=5.03, P ＜ 0.05)], but the positive rate of antibody against SCL70 was significantly higher than localized cutaneous SSc [48% (22/46),rheumatoid factor in patients with SSc was markedly higher thanin control group [(16.89±11.94), (11.89±2.05) g/L; (23.06±6.18), (22.44±5.53) IU/mL,t=8.01, 2.46, P ＜ 0.01].CONCLUSION: The positive rate of antinuclear antibody, anticentromere antibody, anti-cytoplasm antibody, and antibody against SCL-70, as well as the level of immunoglobulin G and rheumatoid factor were obviously increased in patients with SSc, suggesting that these experimental parameters have the value in evaluating the prognosis of SSc.