The accuracy of the anti-α-fodrin antibody test for diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome: A meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of anti-alpha-fodrin in patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS). Methods: By internet retrieval, all anti-alpha-fodrin data were considered. This analysis included studies showing anti-alpha-fodrin (IgA or IgG) results in patients with SS and the control group with other autoimmune diseases. The qualities of the involved studies were assessed by QUADAS. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of the IgA and IgG were calculated, respectively. Finally, stratified analysis was performed according to the possible heterogeneity sources. Results: Twenty-three studies including seven Chinese and sixteen English reports met the entry criteria. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of all the involved studies anti-alpha-fodrin were 39.3% and 83%, respectively. In detail, the pooled sensitivity was 38% in IgG subtype and 41.9% in IgA subtype while the specificity was 83.1% in IgG subtype and 82.8% in IgA subtype. Conclusion: The anti-alpha-fodrin showed moderate accuracy for the diagnosis of SS with high specificity and relative low sensitivity. (c) 2013 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.