SLE: investigations
Posted: 03 Dec 2012, 10:48
SLE: investigations
Immunology
•99% are ANA positive
•20% are rheumatoid factor positive
•anti-dsDNA: highly specific (> 99%), but less sensitive (70%)
•anti-Smith: most specific (> 99%), sensitivity (30%)
Monitoring
•ESR: during active disease the CRP is characteristically normal - a raised CRP may indicate underlying infection
•complement levels (C3, C4) are low during active disease (formation of complexes leads to consumption of complement)
•anti-dsDNA titres can be used for disease monitoring (but note not present in all patients)
Immunology
•99% are ANA positive
•20% are rheumatoid factor positive
•anti-dsDNA: highly specific (> 99%), but less sensitive (70%)
•anti-Smith: most specific (> 99%), sensitivity (30%)
Monitoring
•ESR: during active disease the CRP is characteristically normal - a raised CRP may indicate underlying infection
•complement levels (C3, C4) are low during active disease (formation of complexes leads to consumption of complement)
•anti-dsDNA titres can be used for disease monitoring (but note not present in all patients)