Sensitivity and specificity of a commercial ELISA test for anti-MAG antibodies in patients with neuropathy
01 Pubblicazione su rivista
Liberatore G., Giannotta C., Sajeev B. P., Morenghi E., Terenghi F., Gallia F., Doneddu P. E., Manganelli F., Cocito D., Filosto M., Antonini G., Cosentino G., Marfia G. A., Clerici A. M., Lauria G., Rosso T., Cavaletti G., Nobile-Orazio E.
ISSN: 0165-5728
For the diagnosis of anti-MAG polyneuropathy the commercial ELISA manufacturer currently recommends a cut-off of 1000 Bühlmann Titer Units (BTU). We analyzed sera from 80 anti-MAG neuropathy patients and 383 controls (with other neuropathies or healthy controls) to assess the ELISA sensitivity and specificity at different thresholds. A better combination of sensitivity/specificity was found at a threshold >1500 BTU than at >1000 BTU. The best value of specificity was obtained at threshold >7000 BTU. There was a diagnostic grey area between 1500 and 7000 BTU in which the clinical phenotypes as well as electrophysiological studies need to be carefully assessed particularly to differentiate CIDP and anti-MAG neuropathy.