title: Complement Fixation Test: An Update of an Old Method for Diagnosis of Bullous Pemphigoid.
abstract: The complement fixation test (CFT) is a method traditionally used for diagnosis of gestational pemphigoid. Its performance in diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid (BP) has not been investigated in a large patient cohort. The aim of this single-centre, retrospective, serological case-control study of 300 patients with BP and 136 control patients was to analyse its operating characteristics. CFT was found to have a sensitivity of 71.7% and a specificity of 100%. Furthermore, CFT diagnosed 20 of 46 patients with BP (43.5%) who were negative for both BP180 and BP230 enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISAs), 31 of 66 patients (47.0%) who were negative for indirect immunofluorescence of the oesophagus, 5 of 14 patients (35.7%) who were serologically negative for all investigated serological assays, and 7 of 18 patients (38.9%) in whom direct immunofluorescence was negative. Combination of CFT with all other serological assays resulted in a sensitivity of 95.3%. In conclusion, CFT is suitable for the diagnosis of BP, and can help to diagnose serologically challenging cases.
authors: Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Ludwig-Maximilan University, Frauenlobstr. 9-11, DE-80337 Munich, Germany and Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermato-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
authors: Jana
authors: J
authors: Jankásková
authors: Orsolya N
authors: ON
authors: Horváth
authors: Rita
authors: R
authors: Varga
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Ruzicka
authors: Miklós
authors: M
authors: Sárdy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D018153:Czech Republic; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003165:Complement System Proteins