Antibodies Against Citrullinated Peptides
A Role in the Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Utility of Rheumatoid Factor
September 2008
Rheumatoid factor is the classic marker used for the diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rheumatoid factor is an antibody, either an IgG, IgA, or IgM isotype that recognizes the Fc portion of an IgG molecule. Most Rheumatoid factor assays have reasonable sensitivity for Rheumatoid Arthritis generally between 70-90%; however the biggest problem with Rheumatoid Arthritis is its lack of specificity. It is found at relatively high frequencies in other connective tissue diseases; it can also be found in healthy individuals. The frequency of positivity for Rheumatoid factor is age-related and may approach 25% in individuals over 60-70 years of age. This lack of specificity led to investigations designed to find other diagnostic markers for Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Utility of Rheumatoid Factor |
Jump to section:
- Introduction
- Introduction to Connective Tissue Diseases
- Clinical Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Epidemiologic Features of Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Diagnostic Criteria for Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Utility of Rheumatoid Factor
- Discovery of Anti-Citrulline Antibodies
- Enzymatic Process of Citrullination
- Diagnostic Performance of Anti-Citrulline Antibodies
- Development of Clinical Assays for Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies
- Development of Clinical Assays for Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies
- Sensitivity and Specificity Comparison Anti-CCP and RF
- Diagnostic Algorithm for CTDs
- Summary
- Questions?
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