Autoimmune diseases

In the laboratory of the European Medical Center, autoimmune diseases are diagnosed by enzyme immunoassay using the automated ALEGRIA system (ORGENTEC Diagnostika, Germany) and the Advia Centaur XP immunochemiluminescent system (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., USA).

Organ-specific and organ-non-specific autoimmune diseases belong to one group or another, depending on whether the antigens of cells of one or many organs are involved in the process. The target organs in organ-specific diseases are often the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, stomach and pancreas. Some diseases such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, primary myxedema, thyrotoxicosis, pernicious anemia, Addison's disease, and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus are well known. Organ-specific autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid conditions, usually involve lesions of the skin, kidneys, joints, and muscles (dermatomyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus – SLE, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, and others).

The EMC laboratory presents a wide range of markers for autoimmune diseases of connective tissue, gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, systemic vasculitis, antiphospholipid syndrome, and others.

Laboratory tests for autoimmune diseases are used not only for screening, but also for confirmatory studies.