Autoantibodies and overlap syndromes in autoimmune rheumatic disease
- 1Centre for Rheumatology Research, University College, London W1T 4JF, UK
- 2Louise Coot Lupus Unit, St Thomas's Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK
- 3Department of Immunology, St Bartholomew's and The Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry
- Ms Jury, e.jury{at}ucl.ac.uk
- Accepted 20 September 2000
Abstract
Many patients diagnosed with autoimmune rheumatic disease cannot be categorised easily into one of the established clinical entities such as systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, or systemic sclerosis. The term “overlap syndrome” has been increasingly used to identify such patients and is useful in terms of clarifying prognosis and facilitating disease management. This article reviews overlap syndrome in autoimmune rheumatic disease, with particular emphasis on the associated serological markers.
