Autoantibodies in Organ Specific Autoimmune Diseases

The measurement of autoantibodies is an essential part of medical investigation and diagnostics, and, in turn, the prognostics of organ specific autoimmune diseases. Since practically all organs and tissues can be affected by autoimmune processes, nearly all medical disciplines will be confronted with autoimmune diseases. The remarkable spectrum of autoantibodies with confirmed or potential diagnostic and/or pathogenetic relevance to organ specific autoimmune diseases is ever increasing. Considerable progress has also been made in the development and optimization of autoantibody detection methods. Therefore, more and more autoantibodies are detectable in the normal routine laboratory. The diagnostics and differential diagnostics of neurological diseases in particular have profited from the knowledge gained and discoveries made in recent years. Through this progress however, the demands for serological tests as well as the interpretation of laboratory results has also increased. This reference book supplies useful information intended for all physicians active in the field of diagnostics, who are confronted with autoimmune diseases in their daily work. This volume covers not only the autoantibodies occurring in organ specific autoimmune diseases, but also the diseases themselves and their symptoms. In addition to those autoantibodies known to be diagnostic markers, the user will also be presented with autoantibodies of former but not current diagnostic relevance. Numerous newly described autoantibodies with confirmed or potential clinical relevance, which are currently not accessible for routine diagnostics, are also described so that this volume is also of interest to scientists active in the field of autoimmunology.