Catarrhal diseases (sore throat) are often caused by streptococcal infection. The danger of a seemingly simple disease is that streptococcus can cause a critical disruption of the immune system, which begins to fight not only with this pathogen, but also with its own connective tissue. This tissue is present in almost every organ. Such an autoimmune disease is called rheumatism. It is manifested by persistent damage to the joints and heart with subsequent deformity.

Streptococcus secretes a substance, an aggression factor, streptolysin O ("O" means that the substance is destroyed on contact with oxygen), in response to which specific antibodies - ASLO are produced. ASLO is an indicator of acute streptococcal infection, which increases during disease exacerbation and decreases during recovery. Thus, the clinical importance of the analysis is to monitor the dynamics of the rheumatic process.

In rheumatism, the level of ASLO should decrease by the 6th month (with adequate treatment - earlier), which indicates the end of the acute phase of the disease. If ASLO does not decrease after 6 months of the disease, it indicates the possibility of a second wave of the disease. A single determination of the concentration of ASLO has low diagnostic consideration, it is optimal to take the analysis twice with an interval of one week - that is, observation in dynamics.

ATTENTION: The result of the analysis is affected by the use of antibiotics - the value of ASLO decreases.