[When does an autoimmune disease begin? Importance of the early diagnosis]

In autoimmune diseases, such as type I diabetes mellitus, systemic autoimmune diseases and the early phase of rheumatoid arthritis, before the development of a definitive disease, clinical and laboratory alterations can be observed. Being aware of these symptoms is crucial both for family practitioners and specialists, handling autoimmune and early arthritis patients. The early recognition and prognosticating of the disease and sending the patient immediately to a specialist will lead to the exponential improvement of the patient's life expectancies and will also help to avoid complications. The need for special diagnostics, care and treatment made the development of national immunological and rheumatological centers imperative, where sufficient experience and professional knowledge helps the proper medical attendance.