Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) target antigens, and more specifically the oligomannosidic sequences, present in the cell wall of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. They are mainly measured in the IgA and IgG classes.
ASCAs are a major serological marker in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), particularly in Crohn’s disease (CD), where they are detectable in 60–70% of patients, compared with 10–15% of those with ulcerative colitis (UC) and less than 5% of healthy subjects.
The simultaneous presence of both IgA and IgG increases the specificity for Crohn’s disease up to 95–100%, although sensitivity remains moderate (around 60–75%).
Clinically, a positive ASCA / negative ANCA pattern is strongly suggestive of Crohn’s disease, while the opposite pattern (ASCA negative / ANCA positive) is more typical of ulcerative colitis. However, these markers should not be used in isolation for diagnosis, but rather together with clinical, endoscopic and histological findings.
ASCAs may also be detected with a much lower frequency and without a specific diagnostic value in other conditions, including celiac disease, autoimmune liver diseases (primary biliary cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis) and, more rarely, in Behçet’s disease.
Serum, EDTA plasma, heparin plasma, citrate plasma
Immunoblot
Fasting for at least 8-12 hours before sampling
Refer to the Health Service Charter to check storage conditions
+2/+8°C
This test provides the quantitative determination of total tau protein to support the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
This test provides the quantitative determination of tau protein phosphorylated at threonine 181 (pTau181), to support the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
Test for the determination of human autoantibodies against NMDAR to support the diagnosis of paraneoplastic neurological syndromes with an intermediate-risk phenotype.
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