Autoantibodies to dsDNA in the diagnosis, classification and follow-up of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Autoantibodies, in particular anti-dsDNA antibodies, are increasingly used for diagnosis, classification and follow-up of patients with SLE. Since standardization of autoantibody assays is a major challenge, more attention should be paid to harmonization initiatives and better definition of required test characteristics in classification criteria. For diagnosis and follow-up separate multi-center studies are required to establish test characteristics of distinct immuno-assays for both purposes. Finally, such studies should consider not to evaluate SLE as a single disease, but as a disease with distinct subtypes.