A diagnostic algorithm consisting of screening and identification steps should be established by each laboratory in order to put the diagnosis of rheumatic diseases on a rational, evidence based and cost-sparing basis.
Proposed Stepwise Diagnosis Scheme
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 Antiphospholipid antibodies
|  ELISA for screening (cave used antigens: b-GP1+/-Phospholipds and/or Prothrombin): Identification of antibodies and types (IgM or IgG)
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| Lupus anticoagulant (LA) tests, in which the capacity of a plasma is tested to inhibit in vitro clot formation by the so-called LA antibodies: dilute Russell viper venom time (dRVVT), kaolin clotting time (KCT), tissue thromboplastin inhibition test (TTI)
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| Specific ELISA to detect antiphospholipid antibodies
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(ANCA)
