sard

The low prevalence of anti-DFS70 antibodies in patients with SARD is interesting and represents a potentially important biomarker that can be clinically used to discriminate SARD from ANA-positive HI and/or other inflammatory conditions such as AD.

Since ANAs and related autoantibodies are generally considered useful biomarkers for SARD and are included in the classification criteria for SLE [16] and systemic sclerosis (SSc) [17], ANA testing on HEp-2 substrates outside a proper clinical framework may yield a sizable portion of ANA-positive individuals without consistent evidence of SARD, purportedly leading to inappropriate referrals to tertiary care specialists, as well as anxiety in patients and physicians alike [13] and, perhaps, inappropriate and potentially toxic therapies [18].

But this is an area in which Sardinia scores the lowest of all the West European regions: only 5 per cent of the Sards say that they trust other people (compared with the West European mean of 35 per cent), and just 3 per cent are members of a social-cultural association (average in Western Europe, 26 per cent).

It is even rumoured that the government was not interested in regional development, but actually tried to 'italianise' the obstinate Sards and their particular culture.