Appropriateness of the request for laboratory tests in the diagnosis of systemic autoimmune diseases

Abstract

Appropriatezza della richiesta di esami di laboratorio nella diagnosi delle malattie autoimmuni sistemiche SUMMARY Autoimmune diseases are caused by an immune response against some autoantigens. This response, characterized by the presence of autoantibodies, causes an inflammatory disease, which can cause a damage of specific organ (organ-specific autoimmune diseases) or systemic (systemic autoimmune diseases). The presence of these autoantibodies in the serum can therefore be a useful parameter for the diagnosis and/or monitoring of autoimmune diseases In this paper we describe a flow chart about laboratory tests in the diagnosis of systemic autoimmune diseases so as to maintain appropriateness of the request and contain costs.