It's important not to throw the baby out with the bath water. While the utility of many autoantibody tests is unknown at this time, criteria-based antibody testing is important in order to complete the diagnostic picture. In SLE work-ups, for example, anti-phospholipid antibodies are weighted criteria items (2 points) and should be tested, not only for diagnostic purposes, but also for cardiovascular risk assessment in all SLE patients. This testing often requires separate orders from standard antibody panels and should not be overlooked in SLE work-ups, even in the absence of specific SLE antibodies. Anti-phospholipid antibodies confer increased cardiovascular and thrombotic risk, especially in the presence of thrombocytopenia, in all SLE patients-- even those who do not develop APS. The best approach is to use established weighted criteria to guide auto-antibody testing.