RT Book, Section
A1 Nigrovic, Peter A.
A2 Rudolph, Colin D.
A2 Rudolph, Abraham M.
A2 Lister, George E.
A2 First, Lewis R.
A2 Gershon, Anne A.
SR Print(0)
ID 7019015
T1 Chapter 200. Diagnostic Testing in Rheumatology
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-149723-7
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7019015
RD 2024/04/19
AB Laboratory  and  imaging  studies  rarely  establish  a  definitive  diagnosis  of  rheumatologic  diseases  in  children.  The  prevalence  of  rheumatic  diseases  in  childhood  is  low,  and  even  very  specific  tests  generate  high  false-positive  rates  unless  there  is  a  well-founded  clinical  suspicion  for  a  particular  illness,  based  upon  an  informed  differential  diagnosis  guided  by  the  history  and  physical  exam.  The  utility  of  an  assay  will  vary  with  the  nature  and  stage  of  the  illness.  They  can  provide  information  that  is  useful  for  the  evaluation  and  treatment.