Centromere Antibodies, IgG, Serum

Clinical Use

Use

The test for Centromere Antibodies, IgG is crucial in evaluating patients who exhibit symptoms of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, especially conditions such as systemic sclerosis, Sjogren’s syndrome, or overlap diseases. It assists in phenotypic stratification of patients with systemic sclerosis, distinguishing between limited cutaneous and diffuse cutaneous forms or determining the risk for specific clinical manifestations. The presence of anti-centromere antibodies is primarily associated with systemic sclerosis and can help stratify risks for cutaneous and organ involvement as well as survival outcomes. They are also occasionally observed in other autoimmune diseases like Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and primary biliary cholangitis.

Special Instructions

Not provided.

Limitations

The absence of anti-centromere antibodies does not rule out a diagnosis of systemic sclerosis or associated diseases. Detection of anti-centromere antibodies using solid-phase immunoassays may not always correlate with clinical disease presence. These antibodies have a broad specificity for the centromere–kinetochore macro-complex and demonstrate a discrete nuclear speckled pattern using indirect immunofluorescence assay. False negatives may occur if the appropriate centromere antigens are not expressed equivalently in the assay platforms used.

Test Details

FDA Approved