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Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, first accredited centre for detecting genetic immune system disease affecting those known as the "bubble boys"

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29 April 2019 Industries

The Immumology International Day, (29 April) is an event promoted by the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS) to publicize the importance of Immunology to promote this discipline. Therefore, in Spain increasingly more clinical, public and private laboratories are accredited ENAC in accordance with the international UNE-EN ISO 15189 standard, providing reliable results in different test analyses for studying immune system diseases or in which the immune system plays an important role.

The first accreditation has recently been granted to the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona (Centre of Biomedical Diagnosis) for detecting Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. It is a pioneer in Spain for this type of screening. With the classical heel blood test performed on the new-borns, this genetic disease of the immune system (known commonly as bubble boys) can be detected early.

This pathology is the most severe form of the primary immunodeficiencies, a set of more than 300 genetically based immunological diseases characterized by an alteration of the immune system. It causes to the children affected to be totally unable to develop an immune response against microorganisms and without very early treatment, usually a bone marrow transplant, the evolution is fatal.

In addition to this accreditation, ENAC has accredited 18 clinical laboratories for Immunology testing related to autoimmune diseases, where the immune system attacks its own body's cells, such as systemic lupus erythematosus or Rheumatoid arthritis; studies of hypersensitivity, such as asthma and other allergies; the necessary studies to characterise organ donors and recipients, which plays a key role in transplant success; and immunodeficiency studies, acquired ones (AIDS) and primary immunodeficiencies.

Accreditation means that these laboratories, after a rigorous assessment process involving expert auditors in the area of Immunology, have shown themselves to be technically competent, thereby ensuring that the issued results are reliable. This makes clinicians certain that their clinical decisions are based on reliable information thereby improving diagnostic quality and minimizing risks to patient safety.


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