BackBreakthrough in early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common autoimmune rheumatic disease. About 1% of the world's population suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. RA is characterized by chronic inflammation of the synovial membranes and progressive destruction of the joints, which eventually leads to motor disorders and joint deformities. During the first 6 years of the disease, most patients experience disability and invalidism.
The first years of the disease are crucial in the prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis. There is an "early" RA – from 6 weeks to 12 months from the onset of the disease, when active therapy is able to effectively stop the progression of joint damage. In this regard, early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is important.
In the laboratory diagnosis of RA, the definition of rheumatoid factor (RF) remains significant. But the specificity of the RF test is low, and its sensitivity depends on the duration of the disease. During the first 6 months from the onset of the disease, rheumatoid factor is detected only in 15-43% of patients.
Currently, the most promising marker of early rheumatoid arthritis is Anti-CCP (antibodies to citrullinated peptide).
Anti-CCP is a group of autoantibodies that interact with abnormal peptides containing the amino acid citrulline. Normally, citrulline, a common metabolite of the body, is not embedded in the peptide during its synthesis. In rheumatoid arthritis, the enzyme peptidylarginine deiminase causes local citrullination of synovial membrane proteins, and is one of the main factors triggering the production of autoantibodies.
It has been established that Anti-CCP are detected in the blood of a patient with RA long before the first signs of the disease appear, and the titer of these antibodies persists throughout the first 3-5 years of the disease.
Anti-CCP are extremely specific for rheumatoid arthritis (~98%), and are present at very early stages of the disease. This indicates the value of the test in the differential diagnosis of rheumatic diseases, especially in the early stages.
The determination of such antibodies can be used to plan a therapeutic strategy, since Anti-CCP positive patients tend to have a more aggressive course of the disease with the progression of erosive changes in the joints.
Anti-CCP examination can be done in any treatment room of the OLYMP CDL. At the same time, the analysis is done on analyzers and reagents from Roche Diagnostics (Germany), a world leader in the production of laboratory equipment.