International consensus on ANA determination - what changes in the German-speaking area?

In 2014, two groups of international experts collaborated in formulating recommendations for the detection of antibodies against cellular antigens, commonly referred to as antinuclear antibodies. These recommendations were summarized in a table with 25 points, and in a second table, patterns were described that should be recognized by an autoimmune laboratory. International recommendations are mandatory for certified laboratories and require a rethinking of the analytical procedure. The Austrian Working Group on Autoimmune Diagnostic (http://www.easi-network. com) has come to an agreement how these 2014 published recommendations could be implemented in German-speaking countries.