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AVISE CTD blood test helps rheumatologists and their patients during lupus awareness month
Exagen test offers efficiency to providers and peace of mind for patients
SAN DIEGO,CA & ALBUQUERQUE, NM, May 7, 2019–May is lupus awareness month, and Exagen Inc., an organization dedicated to helping patients suffering from debilitating autoimmune diseases is sharing recent findings about the symptoms of lupus and how they can look similar to other diseases.
A recent article published in Arthritis & Rheumatism documented the degree to which nonspecific signs and symptoms of lupus are also found in those diseases known to mimic lupus. When comparing two groups, those with SLE (n=389) and those with SLE-mimicking diseases (n=227), across 38 different symptoms, 29 were found in both groups. Some of the most common symptoms for SLE vs SLE-mimic diseases included; fatigue (28.3%vs. 37%), fever (34%vs. 13.7%), Photosensitivity (31.6%vs.18.5%), joint inflammation (57.6%vs.26.4%), joint pain (20.3%vs.42.7%), and Raynaud’s phenomenon (22.1% vs.48.5%). The findings illustrate how very difficult it is to distinguish early onset lupus from other conditions like infection, lymphoma, Sjogren’s syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome, autoimmune thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other lupus-like conditions.
“Catching lupus early and differentiating it from other connective tissue diseases is no easy task”, shared Arthur Weinstein MD, Chief Medical Officer at Exagen Inc. who continued “Symptoms alone are not sufficient for a diagnosis and that is where the AVISE CTD test comes in to improve upon the performance of traditional lab tests and give the care provider insight to help more accurately rule-in and rule-out lupus.”
The majority of SLE patients suffer from these vague symptoms which can also be caused by a number of other conditions. However, being able to differentiate lupus from other conditions is critical to selecting effective treatments and arresting potential permanent organ damage.The AVISE CTD test is specifically designed to provide useful information to make this key distinction using cell-bound complement activation products (CB-CAPs). The use of patented CB-CAPs technology has been proven through several multicenter studies to offer superior performance over traditional test alone. Anyone concerned that they or a loved one might have lupus can get additional information at AviseTest.com
About Exagen Inc.
We are dedicated to transforming the care continuum for patients suffering from debilitating and chronic autoimmune diseases by enabling timely differential diagnosis and optimizing therapeutic intervention. We have developed and are commercializing a portfolio of innovative testing products under our AVISE brand, several of which are based on our proprietary Cell-Bound Complement Activation Products, or CB-CAPs, technology. CB-CAPs assess the activation of the complement system, a biological pathway that is widely implicated across many autoimmune and autoimmune-related diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE. Our goal is to enable rheumatologists to improve care for patients through the differential diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of complex autoimmune and autoimmune-related diseases, including SLE and rheumatoid arthritis, or RA. Our business model of integrating testing products and therapeutics positions us to offer targeted solutions to rheumatologists and, ultimately, better serve patients.
For more information, visit www.exagen.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
CONTACTS
Investor Relations
David Clair
Integrated Corporate Relations, Inc.
david.clair@icrinc.com
646-277-1266
Brian McEvilly
Exagen Inc.
bmcevilly@exagen.com
760-560-1506