title: Antiperinuclear factors are present in polyarthritis before ACR criteria for rheumatoid arthritis are fulfilled.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To show that antiperinuclear factor (APF) may be useful for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis at a time when the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria are not yet fulfilled.
  
  
  METHODS
  Testing for APF-IgG (1:100 threshold) and rheumatoid factors (RF) was done in 60 patients with polyarthritis of recent onset during a three year follow up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the study, 21/40 rheumatoid arthritis were positive for RF and 31/40 for APF, including 18/40 cases (45%) in which ACR criteria were not yet fulfilled.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  APF are useful in the diagnosis of early rheumatoid arthritis.
authors.affiliation: Service de Rhumatologie, Hôtel-Dieu, CHU Nantes, France.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Berthelot
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maugars
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castagné
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Audrain
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prost
mesh_terms: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis*; D001168:Arthritis / Q000175:diagnosis; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D015415:Biomarkers; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; C030902:antiperinuclear factor; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor