RESEARCH - Serum autoantibodies that bind citrullinated fibrinogen are frequently found in RA

August 29, 2006

J Rheumatol. 2006 Aug 15; [Epub ahead of print]

Serum Autoantibodies that Bind Citrullinated Fibrinogen Are Frequently Found

in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Hill JA, Al-Bishri J, Gladman DD, Cairns E, Bell DA.

OBJECTIVE: Autoantibodies that bind citrullinated antigens are a sensitive

and specific marker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). While synthetic cyclic

citrullinated peptides (CCP) are typically used to identify these

antibodies, little is known about antibody reactivity to the predominant

citrullinated protein found in the inflamed synovium, citrullinated

fibrinogen (CitFib). We assessed the prevalence of anti-CitFib antibodies in

patients with various rheumatic diseases. METHODS: In total, 65 patients

with established RA and 63 patients with other rheumatic diseases were

tested for serum IgM rheumatoid factor (RF), IgG anti-CCP2, and IgG

anti-CitFib antibodies. This cohort was used to determine optimal positive

cutoff values for antibody reactivity to CitFib through receiver operating

characteristic curve analysis. The specificity of these assays was confirmed

with sera from 49 patients with psoriatic arthritis. RESULTS: Antibodies to

both citrullinated antigens were identified in the majority of RA patients

tested. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the assays were: CCP 82%,

96%, CitFib 75%, 98%, and IgM RF 80%, 64%, respectively. All but one patient

that was positive for CitFib was also positive for CCP2, and close to half

the RF-negative RA patients were positive for CitFib and CCP2.

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that autoimmunity to CitFib is common in

patients with RA and may play a role in disease pathogenesis.

PMID: 16924693

6924693

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

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