The predictive significance of autoantibodies in autoimmune diseases

Several studies have shown that autoimmune diseases are preceded by a long pre-clinical phase, and that many autoantibodies can be detected in the serum of asymptomatic subjects years before the clinical manifestations become evident. Three parameters must be carefully quantitated for predictive tests to be clinically useful: sensitivity of prediction, specificity of prediction, and positive predictive values. Purpose of review is to summarize the evidence for use of autoantibodies in screening asymptomatic