Patent ID: 6228598
Filing Date: 2001-05-08
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A method of diagnosing in an individual the presence of at least one immune-mediated, motor-sensory polyneuropathy selected from the group consisting of: Guillain-Barre syndrome, chronic demyelinating polyneuropathy having an acute, Guillain-Barre syndrome-like onset, multifocal motor neuropathy, polyneuropathy with serum IgM M-protein, and polyneuropathy with antibodies to myelin-associated glycoprotein, the method comprising the steps of:a) contacting a heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan sample with a test sample from the individual, under conditions that allow antibodies, if present, to bind to heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan, thereby generating a contacted sample; andb) comparing the amount of anti-heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan antibody in the contacted sample with a reference amount, wherein the reference amount is an amount of anti-heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan antibody that is at least about three standard deviations greater than the amount of anti-heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan antibody in comparable negative control samples,wherein an amount of anti-heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan antibody in the contacted sample that is equal to, or greater than, the reference amount, is indicative of the presence of at least one immune-mediated, motor-sensory polyneuropathy selected from the group consisting of: Guillain-Barre syndrome, chronic demyelinating polyneuropathy having an acute, Guillain-Barre syndrome-like onset, multifocal motor neuropathy, polyneuropathy with serum IgM M-protein, and polyneuropathy with antibodies to myelin-associated glycoprotein.