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Gifford Lum, MD; Myrton F. Beeler, MD

JAMA. 1983;249(14):1890.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

The article by Ryder et al, "Serum Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Activity in Patients With Histoplasmosis" (p 1888), provides a good opportunity to discuss a common error in the clinical assessment of any proposed new diagnostic test. Such a test is often developed for the diagnosis of a specific disease. It is then found to show positive results in a high percentage of patients with the disease. Next, a control group, often consisting of a group of volunteers, healthy medical students, some blood donors, or a randomly selected group of laboratory technicians, is selected for testing. The results are found to be normal, or negative, in this control group; on that basis, the laboratory test is then claimed to be specific for the disease. Results of the clinical evaluation of this new laboratory test are published in a medical journal; there is a resultant flush of enthusiasm for the test. Clinicians . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Veterans Administration Medical Center West Roxbury, Mass Harvard Medical School Boston; Department of Pathology LSU Medical Center New Orleans

Footnotes
Address editorial communications to the Editor, 535 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60610.

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