Sometimes autoantibodies in autoimmune diseases are only related to a disease: in those cases, these autoantibodies can serve as specific markers of a specific disease.
Autoantibodies as markers of autoimmune
A reliable and early diagnosis is crucial for the successful treatment of autoimmune diseases. In particular, the connective tissue diseases are difficult to diagnose because its symptoms vary widely and can be misleading.
However, in some autoimmune diseases autoantibodies are found only in a specific disease: consequently, these autoantibodies can serve as markers of the disease. If an antibody serves as a marker of the disease, it is imperative that a pathogenic antibody. Often, antibodies are a consequence of the disease and not the cause.
sensitivity and specificity of autoimmune markers
The quality of a marker of disease is defined by specificity and sensitivity .
A marker has a high specificity when it is present only in a specific disease, disease related or not in the patient's family. This is true, for example, for anti-tissue transglutaminase, which showed a clinical specificity for celiac disease up to 100%.
A marker has a high sensitivity when it is detectable in all or almost all patients with a specific disease. Antibodies to tissue transglutaminase are also a good example of a marker with high sensitivity: about 96% of patients with celiac disease show a detectable anti-tTG title.
A marker of disease can be highly specific but the completely pointless, such as anti-Sm antibodies are found only in 10-30% of SLE patients but rarely in other diseases.
Conversely, a marker may be highly sensitive but not too specific, such as in the case of anti-cardiolipin antibodies which are a marker for the antiphospholipid syndrome but are found in other diseases.
A marker of disease can be highly specific but the completely pointless, such as anti-Sm antibodies are found only in 10-30% of SLE patients but rarely in other diseases.
Conversely, a marker may be highly sensitive but not too specific, such as in the case of anti-cardiolipin antibodies which are a marker for the antiphospholipid syndrome but are found in other diseases.
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