• 05 FEB 15

    Autoimmune Diseases

    autoanosaIn autoimmune diseases, while the body's antibodies are meant to attack external infectious agents, they attack the body itself and its organs, failing to distinguish it from external invaders. These are chronic diseases that can have various expressions and severity. Sometimes, multiple autoimmune diseases appear together, so a comprehensive examination is recommended with analyses at various levels.

    Autoantibodies usually appear in individuals with a family history following viral infections or prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals or intense stress.

    Their appearance can be organ-specific (e.g., thyroid), but also systemic affecting all organs.

    Analyses performed for the detection of systemic autoimmune diseases, which affect the whole body, should be selected step by step and include:

    Complete blood count, ESR, CRP: these are used to check for signs of inflammatory reactions that may have originated from systemic autoimmune diseases, as well as the balance of the cardiovascular system.

    Complement C3, C4: they indicate whether there is long-term activation or depletion of the immune system, which mainly occurs in the presence of autoimmune diseases.

    Uric acid, transaminases, CK, LDH: they are checked to determine if there is an autoimmune disease that may have harmful effects on the liver, muscles, or hematopoietic system.

    Urinalysis: it aims to determine if the autoimmune disease affects kidney function. The detection of leukocytes in general urine is considered a critical element for kidney health.

    Rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP): used to detect rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren's syndrome.

    Antinuclear antibodies (ANA): ( used to detect systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyositis, etc.)

    Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA):  used for Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), etc.

    Anti-ribonucleoprotein antibodies (anti- RNP), Sjögren’s syndrome A&B antibodies (anti-SSA (Ro), anti-SSB(La)), Smith antibodies (anti-Sm), scleroderma antibodies (Scl-70), anti-Jo1 antibodies: if positive antinuclear antibodies are found, the ENA panel is performed for the differential diagnosis of the disease.

    Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL IgG, aCL IgA, aCL IgM): measured when one or more unexplained venous or arterial thromboses occur or when recurrent miscarriages occur, especially in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy.

    Organ-specific autoimmune diseases: specialised analyses are performed to detect the corresponding disease. The most characteristic ones include:

    • Anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti- TPO), anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (anti- Tg), TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb):their analyses are recommended in cases of autoimmune thyroid diseases detection.
    • Anti-smooth muscle antibodies (ASMA):used to differentiate chronic activeautoimmune hepatitis from other liver diseases.
    • Anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA):(ΑΜΑ): used to detect primary biliary cirrhosis.

     

    There is no need for any particular preparation or diet for the analyses, and blood sampling can be done at any time of the day.

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