Serological markers in inflammatory bowel disease: the pros and cons.
Accurate serological assays are desirable for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. Among several serological markers anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan antibodies and perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies are highly disease specific for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, respectively. Combining the two improves their specificity. Sensitivity, however, is still low. Due to lack of standardization and vast interobserver variability, they cannot be used as the only diagnostic criteria but can assist clinicians in diagnosing and categorizing patients with inflammatory bowel disease as well as in helping them to take therapeutic decisions.
Lerner
Aaron
A
Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit, Dept of Paediatrics, Carmel Medical Centre, B Rappaport School of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Shoenfeld
Yehuda
Y
D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000032:analysis; D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic; D015415:Biomarkers