Anticentromere Antibody
- Also Known As:
- Centromere Antibody
- ACA

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.At a Glance
Why Get Tested?
To detect the presence of anticentromere antibodies; to help diagnose limited cutaneous scleroderma, a subtype of scleroderma, also known as systemic sclerosis, a rare connective tissue disorder that is generally classified as an autoimmune disorder
When To Get Tested?
When you have one or more symptoms that suggest CREST syndrome; when you have a positive result on an antinuclear antibody (ANA) test
Sample Required?
A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm
Test Preparation Needed?
None
What is being tested?
The anticentromere antibody (ACA) is an autoantibody, a protein produced by the immune system that mistakenly targets the body’s own tissues. ACA is one of several antinuclear antibodies. It targets the centromere, a component of the chromosomes (structures in the nucleus) found in all nucleated cells in our bodies except red blood cells. The ACA test detects and measures the amount of anticentromere antibody found in blood to help diagnose a form of scleroderma.
Scleroderma (also known as systemic sclerosis) is a group of rare connective tissue disorders. There are two distinct subtypes of systemic sclerosis that are defined based on how much of the skin is affected:
- Diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis that affects the entire body
- Limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis that is typically associated with one or more symptoms that are known collectively as CREST syndrome
CREST syndrome symptoms include:
- Calcinosis – calcium deposits under the skin
- Raynaud phenomenon – episodes of decreased blood flow to fingers and toes, causing them to turn white and blue
- Esophageal dysfunction – difficulty swallowing, acid reflux, and heartburn
- Sclerodactyly – tight, thick, shiny skin on the hands and fingers
- Telangiectasia – red spots on skin due to swollen capillaries
Other signs that may be considered in scleroderma include fingertip lesions, abnormal capillaries in the skin just below the fingernails, high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary arterial hypertension) and/or scarring of the lungs (interstitial lung disease).
ACA is found in about 60-80% of people who have limited cutaneous scleroderma while only about 5% of patients with diffuse scleroderma have ACA. ACA can be present in up to 95% of people who have CREST syndrome.
Common Questions
View Sources
Sources Used in Current Review
2020 review performed by Nadia Ayala-Lopez, MLS (ASCP), PhD, Clinical Chemistry Fellow, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
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Ho, K. T., & Reveille, J. D. (2003). The clinical relevance of autoantibodies in scleroderma. Arthritis Research & Therapy, 5(2), 80–93.
Sources Used in Previous Reviews
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Assassi, S. et. al. (2009 October). Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC), PBC Autoantibodies, and Hepatic Parameter Abnormalities in a Large Population of Systemic Sclerosis Patients. J Rheumatol. v36(10): 2250–2256. [On-line information]. PDF available for download at http://ukpmc.ac.uk/articles/PMC2885441/pdf/nihms201893.pdf. Accessed February 2012.
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Reviewed January 2016 by Boris Calderon, MD, DABCC, FACB, NIH.
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(January 25, 2016). Varga, J. Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) in adults. In: UpToDate., Axford, JS (Ed). UpToDate, Waltham, MA. Available online at http://www.uptodate.com/contents/diagnosis-and-differential-diagnosis-of-systemic-sclerosis-scleroderma-in-adults. Accessed on January 25, 2016.
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