ANTIENDOTHELIAL CELL ANTIBODIES - A NEED FOR STANDARDIZATION

Twenty years have passed since the original description of the anti-en dothelial cell antibodies (AECA). It is widely acknowledged that the p resence of circulating autoantibodies against endothelial cells surfac e antigens, found in a number of patients with connective tissue disea se and vasculitis, is one of the driving mechanisms for the observed v ascular injury and might be an important factor in initiating the path ogenesis of vascular abnormalities. AECA data regarding the prevalence , technical problems, presence with other autoantibodies, antigen dist ribution and immune endothelial cell injury associated with these auto antibodies, requires standardization for determining the precise patho physiologic and immunologic role of anti-endothelial cell antibodies.