Methods of aiding in the diagnosis of diseases using anti-IL-6 antibodies

A method of aiding in the diagnosis of a disease or condition associated with elevated interleukin 6 (“IL-6”), comprising detecting for the presence of elevated amounts of IL-6 in a biological sample of a subject, and if said biological sample is determined to comprise elevated IL-6 levels identifying said subject as one having or suspected of having a disease associated with elevated IL-6, wherein said detection is effected by:

• (i) contacting a biological sample of the patient putatively having a condition associated with elevated IL-6 with an amount of an anti-IL-6 antibody or antibody fragment, whereby said amount of antibody or antibody fragment binds to any IL-6 in the biological sample, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment comprises:
• a variable light chain polypeptide comprising:
• a polypeptide having at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO:
• 709, and a variable heavy chain polypeptide comprising:
• a polypeptide having at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO:
• 657, further wherein said anti-IL-6 antibody or antibody fragment comprises the variable light chain complementarity determining region (CDR) polypeptides of SEQ ID NO:4, 5 and 6 and comprises the variable heavy chain complementarity determining region (CDR) polypeptides of SEQ ID NO:7, 8 or 120, and 9 and
• (ii) detecting the binding of any IL-6 present in the sample to said anti-IL-6 antibody or antibody fragment in order to determine whether the subject putatively has a condition associated with elevated IL-6.