The case: A 32-year-old woman, consults her physician about generalized aches and pains
in her limbs, low back and neck and intermittent headaches during the last 3 years. She …

Case 1: A 29-year-old woman consults her physician 2 months after the birth of her second
child because she woke one morning with pain and swelling in her wrists, small joints of the …

There are a number of pathological conditions in which tissue damage occurs in association
with immune activation directed against components of normal tissue. The initial damaging …

A comment on this article appears in" Laboratory tests and" likelihood ratios": comment on
the editorial by Kavanaugh." Arthritis Rheum. 2002 Sep; 46 (9): 2547; author reply 2547 …

Laboratory tests are useful in diagnosing rheumatic diseases, but clinicians should be
aware of the limitations of these tests. This article uses case vignettes to provide practical …

Immunologic laboratory tests serve a critical role in the care of patients with rheumatic
diseases. Historically, such tests have helped define the immunopathophysiologic basis of …

Patients with a suspected connective tissue disorder should undergo serologic testing to
confirm the diagnosis and, in some cases, to monitor disease activity and predict flares …

The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is based primarily on the 1987 revised American
College of Rheumatology criteria for RA, which considers mainly the clinical symptoms. But …

Background: The diagnostic value of serum complement testing is well established in
inherited complement deficiencies and glomerulonephritis. Their utility is less certain in …

Establishing a diagnosis of systemic rheumatic disease requires an integration of a patient's
symptoms, physical examination findings, and the results of diagnostic testing. There is often …