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Karsten Conrad, Werner Schößler, Falk Hiepe |
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Autoantibodies are a very heterogeneous group of
antibodies with respect to their specificity, induction, effects, and
clinical significance. Testing for autoantibodies can be helpful or
necessary for the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, prognostication, or
monitoring of autoimmune diseases. In case of limited (forme fruste)
disease or a single disease manifestation, the detection of serum
autoantibodies can play an important role in raising the suspicion of
evolving disease and forecasting prognosis. This book and reference
guide is intended to assist the physician in understanding and
interpreting the variety of autoantibodies that are being used as
diagnostic and prognostic tools for patients with systemic rheumatic
diseases. Autoantibodies observed in systemic autoimmune diseases are
described in alphabetical order in Part 1 of this reference guide. In
Part 2, systemic autoimmune disorders as well as symptoms
that indicate the possible presence of an autoimmune disease are listed.
Systemic manifestations of organ-specific autoimmune diseases will not
be covered in this volume. Guide marks were inserted to ensure fast and
easy cross-reference between symptoms, a given autoimmune disease and
associated autoantibodies. Although the landscape of autoantibody
testing continues to change, this information will be a useful and
valuable reference for many years to come. |
