Mixed connective tissue disease (and overlap syndromes)

Abstract

In 1966, Dr Gordon Sharp described a condition characterised by Raynaud’s, joint problems, ‘overlapping’ features of lupus and scleroderma and defined by the presence of a specific antibody: anti-ribonucleoprotein (anti-RNP). Although initially criticized as a concept, the condition he described, mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), has been accepted by the medical community and is often referred to as Sharp’s disease. Indeed with its link to a single antibody that is often in high titer, it is one of the most intriguing of the connective tissue diseases.