Studies on anti-dsDNA Antibodies and other potential biomarkers in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
type: CreativeWork
description: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by chronic inflammation involving many organ systems. The etiology is unknown and the pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Impairments of the immune system and of the mechanisms regulating cell death are commonly seen in SLE patients. Autoantibodies, in particular anti-dsDNA antibodies, are considered hallmarks of SLE, but the ideal biomarker for SLE is still missing. In this thesis, I summarize the state of the art about biomarkers for SLE and present four original papers, resulting from two different investigations that focused on traditional and novel biomarkers for SLE. The first study concerns the evaluation of anti-dsDNA antibodies as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in a realistic clinic scenario. We designed a multicentre study for recruitment and clinical investigation of patients with recent onset of rheumatic symptoms. In paper I, we present the results showing the presence of anti-dsDNA antibodies in many non-SLE patients, with inconsistent results of the assay simultaneously performed in different laboratories. The positivity of the test is found also in about one fourth of ANA negative patients and poses little risk of developing SLE within 5 years, in contrast to previous data. Paper II is a report of results showing that presence of anti-dsDNA antibodies, independently of the assay used, is significantly associated with glomerulonephritis and pleuritis, regardless of the diagnosis. The positivity confirmed by two different methods tends also to cluster with hematological manifestations. We suggest that anti-dsDNA antibodies should be used as biomarkers of certain clinical phenotypes, regardless of the diagnosis. The second part of this thesis concerns the assessment of novel promising biomarkers for SLE. We designed a longitudinal investigation, where patients with established SLE were followed for about two years, with regular clinical and laboratory assessments every other month. I aime…
abstract: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by chronic inflammation involving many organ systems. The etiology is unknown and the pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Impairments of the immune system and of the mechanisms regulating cell death are commonly seen in SLE patients. Autoantibodies, in particular anti-dsDNA antibodies, are considered hallmarks of SLE, but the ideal biomarker for SLE is still missing. In this thesis, I summarize the state of the art about biomarkers for SLE and present four original papers, resulting from two different investigations that focused on traditional and novel biomarkers for SLE. The first study concerns the evaluation of anti-dsDNA antibodies as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in a realistic clinic scenario. We designed a multicentre study for recruitment and clinical investigation of patients with recent onset of rheumatic symptoms. In paper I, we present the results showing the presence of anti-dsDNA antibodies in many non-SLE patients, with inconsistent results of the assay simultaneously performed in different laboratories. The positivity of the test is found also in about one fourth of ANA negative patients and poses little risk of developing SLE within 5 years, in contrast to previous data. Paper II is a report of results showing that presence of anti-dsDNA antibodies, independently of the assay used, is significantly associated with glomerulonephritis and pleuritis, regardless of the diagnosis. The positivity confirmed by two different methods tends also to cluster with hematological manifestations. We suggest that anti-dsDNA antibodies should be used as biomarkers of certain clinical phenotypes, regardless of the diagnosis. The second part of this thesis concerns the assessment of novel promising biomarkers for SLE. We designed a longitudinal investigation, where patients with established SLE were followed for about two years, with regular clinical and laboratory assessments every other month. I aime…
author: Compagno, Michele
language: eng
keywords: Clinical Medicine, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Anti-dsDNA antibodies Biomarkers Osteopontin S100A8/A9 LE-cells Diagnostic accuracy Longitudinal study Multicentre study
date published: 2015
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:59:36Z
provider: University of Lund
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Rheumatology, Lund University