title: A longitudinal study of anticollagen antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Antibodies to native and denatured collagens (types I, II, IX, and XI) were measured in sequential serum samples collected over 1.5-8.7 years (median 4.3) from 15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Eleven patients were seropositive and 4 were seronegative. Disease duration ranged from 3 years to 25 years before the first sample was tested. The patients showed a selective and varying response to collagens, even after disease had been present for a long time. Changes in the levels of antibody to one collagen type were not necessarily linked to changes in the levels of antibody to other collagens. Only some patients showed a strong correlation between C-reactive protein levels (a measure of disease activity) and antibodies to individual collagens. These findings suggest that rheumatoid arthritis patients produce antibodies to a wide variety of epitopes on these collagen molecules, as a result of different antigenic epitopes being exposed by cartilage degradation at different times throughout the disease.
authors: Department of Rheumatology, University of Manchester Medical School, UK.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Morgan
authors: R B
authors: RB
authors: Clague
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Collins
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Ayad
authors: S D
authors: SD
authors: Phinn
authors: P J
authors: PJ
authors: Holt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D003094:Collagen / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D001323:Autoantibodies; D000939:Epitopes; D003094:Collagen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor