Frequency of Positive Anti-CCP Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Negative Rheumatoid Factor

Article Information

Title: Frequency of Positive Anti-CCP Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Negative Rheumatoid Factor

Authors: Fahad Qaisar, Ammad Masood, Sana Ujala

Journal: Journal of Islamabad Medical and Dental College (JIMDC)

HEC Recognition History

Category	From	To
Y	2024-10-01	2025-12-31
Y	2023-07-01	2024-09-30
Y	2022-07-01	2023-06-30
Y	2021-07-01	2022-06-30
Y	2020-07-01	2021-06-30

Publisher: Healers Educational Society

Country: Pakistan

Year: 2023

Volume: 12

Issue: 4

Language: English

DOI: 10.35787/jimdc.v12i4.665

Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritisAntibodiesRheumatoid factor

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a polyarticular autoimmune disease that affects about 1% of the adult population. The disease is characterized by synoviocyte hyperplasia, mainly synovial fibroblasts, resulting in bone and joint destruction. Recent studies have shown that cytokines and other systemic inflammation mediators have a key role in the development ofrheumatoid arthritis. Recently, Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies (anti-CCP) have come into use for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It has been reported that anti-CCP has quite a high specificity for RA (98%), together with sensitivity similar to that for rheumatoid factor (RF). The study aimed to determine the frequency of positive anti-CCP antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis patients with negative rheumatoid factor.
Methods: 91 patients (both male and females) aged 40-70years with negative RF were clinically diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Patients with positive rheumatoid factor and joint injuries were disclaimed. The consultant pathologist used a second-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess the serum levels of anti-CCP antibodies, &gt;20IU/ ml is considered positive p-value of 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: In the study, the age range was 40 to 70 years, averaging 53.44 ± 7.16 years. 59 (64.84%) of the patients were between the ages of 40 and 55. Of 91 patients, 56 (61.54%) were women, and 35 (38.46%) were men with aratio of 1.6:1 man to women. In patients with negative rheumatoid factors, 27 (40.66%) patients were found to have the levels of positive anti-CCP antibodies.
Conclusion: Patients with negative rheumatoid factor showed the high frequency of positive anti-CCP.

Disclaimer: The following sections are produced through an intensive multi-stage analytical pipeline developed by DefinePK, utilizing advanced natural-language processing, domain-specific knowledge models, and automated cross-referencing systems. Despite the rigor and computational effort involved, the generated summary may still contain inaccuracies or incomplete interpretations. Users are strongly advised to verify all critical information against the original paper and its authoritative sources.

Research Objective

To determine the frequency of positive anti-CCP antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis patients who are negative for rheumatoid factor.

Methodology

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 91 patients aged 40-70 years, clinically diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and negative for rheumatoid factor. Patients with positive rheumatoid factor or joint injuries were excluded. Serum anti-CCP antibody levels were assessed using a second-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with a level >20 IU/ml considered positive. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0, with a p-value of 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Methodology Flowchart

                        graph TD
    A["Recruit RA Patients RF-negative, 40-70 yrs"] --> B["Exclude patients with positive RF or joint injury"];
    B --> C["Collect Serum Samples"];
    C --> D["Perform ELISA for Anti-CCP Antibodies"];
    D --> E["Analyze Serum Anti-CCP Levels">20 IU/ml = Positive""];
    E --> F["Statistical Analysis SPSS"];
    F --> G["Report Findings"];

Discussion

The study found a high frequency of positive anti-CCP antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis patients who were negative for rheumatoid factor. This suggests that anti-CCP antibodies are a valuable diagnostic marker, particularly in cases where rheumatoid factor is not present, potentially aiding in earlier diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Key Findings

Out of 91 patients with negative rheumatoid factor, 27 (40.66%) were found to have high levels of positive anti-CCP antibodies. The average age of the patients was 53.44 ± 7.16 years. Women constituted 61.54% of the study population.

Conclusion

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis and negative rheumatoid factor exhibit a high frequency of positive anti-CCP antibodies. The study advocates for the use of anti-CCP antibodies to improve the quality of life for patients through early detection and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Fact Check

1. Sample Size: The study included 91 patients. (Confirmed in Methodology and Results sections).
2. Age Range: Patients were aged between 40-70 years. (Confirmed in Methodology and Results sections).
3. Positive Anti-CCP Frequency: 40.66% of patients with negative RF had positive anti-CCP antibodies. (Confirmed in Results section).

Mind Map

Loading PDF...

Loading Statistics...

DefinePK

Select Collection