[Determination of antinuclear antibodies in rheumatic diseases]

The presence of circulating serum antinuclear antibodies (ANA) directed against various nuclear structures is a hallmark of systemic rheumatic diseases. These diseases are characterized by overlapping clinical features and the diagnosis is not always clear-cut. Each disease has a profile of ANA specificities which is more or less specific to that disease. Therefore serological tests that define the precise specificities of ANA are of great importance for establishing the diagnosis.