Long-term stability of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody status in patients with early inflammatory polyarthritis.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The utility of reassessing anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody status later in disease in patients presenting with early undifferentiated inflammatory polyarthritis, particularly in those who test negative for both anti-CCP and rheumatoid factor (RF) at baseline, remains unclear. We aimed therefore to determine the stability of CCP antibody status over time and the prognostic utility of repeated testing in subjects with early inflammatory polyarthritis (IP).

Methods

Anti-CCP and RF were measured at baseline and 5 years in 640 IP patients from the Norfolk Arthritis Register, a primary care-based inception cohort. The relation between change in anti-CCP status/titer and the presence of radiologic erosions, the extent of the Larsen score, and Heal

SUBMITTER: Burr ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3446486 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature