| Literature DB >> 20061009 |
Christine Castro1, Mark Gourley.
Abstract
Laboratory testing is of great value when evaluating a patient with a suspected autoimmune disease. The results can confirm a diagnosis, estimate disease severity, aid in assessing prognosis and are useful for following disease activity. Components of the laboratory examination include a complete blood count with differential, a comprehensive metabolic panel, measurement of inflammatory markers and autoantibodies, and flow cytometry. This chapter discusses these components and includes a discussion about organ-specific immunologic diseases for which immunologic laboratory testing is used. Comprehensive laboratory evaluation of a suspected autoimmune illness in conjunction with a thorough clinical evaluation provides a better understanding of a patient's immunologic disease. Copyright 2010 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.Entities:
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Year: 2010 PMID: 20061009 PMCID: PMC2832720 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2009.09.041
Source DB: PubMed Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol ISSN: 0091-6749 Impact factor: 10.793