Autoantibodies- investigating autoimmune diseases
Channel: Pathology Tests Explained
Date: 2023-03-13

An immunology expert explains how we diagnose autoimmune diseases and gives an overview of the latest developments in what we know about how they work.

Antibodies are proteins produced by immune cells which are supposed to be targeting things like bacteria and viruses in order to protect us. But in some people these antibodies target their own cells and in a few people this leads to chronic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, immune thrombocytopenia and coeliac disease. We are only at the beginning of knowing what triggers autoimmunity. We know that many genes increase the risk but most of us have these genes and never develop autoimmunity. We know that smoking is a huge trigger in all autoimmune diseases except one. We also know that smoking is an independent risk factor specifically in rheumatoid arthritis.
There are a great many autoimmune tests and your doctor may order several depending on your symptoms, including ANA known as the anti-nuclear antibody test, thyroid antibodies, platelet antibodies, neutrophil antibodies, red cell antibodies and the list goes on.