title: Efficacy of three ELISA measurements of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: The objective of the present study was to determine the efficacy of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody detection in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as to compare three commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits used to detect such antibodies. We analysed the presence of anti-CCP antibodies in the sera of 78 patients who had been newly referred from primary healthcare centres to the Early Polyarthritis Unit. We also included in the study a group of 50 healthy controls. None of the patients had previously received treatment for the disease. After 1-year follow-up, the diagnosis of RA was confirmed in 53 of these patients. The ELISA kits under study were IMMUNOSCAN RA (Euro-Diagnostica AB), QUANTA Lite CCP IgG ELISA (INOVA Diagnostic) and DIA-STAT Anti-CCP (Axis-Shield Diagnostics); the sensitivity obtained was 52.8%, 58.5% and 52.8%, respectively, with 100% specificity for all three kits. Anti-CCP antibodies detected the presence of RA in 26% of patients without positive rheumatoid factor (RF). The sum of anti-CCP antibodies or the presence of RF gave a sensitivity of up to 67%, with specificity ranging between 94 and 97%. Anti-CCP antibodies show high specificity for the diagnosis of RA. The three ELISAs analysed offer the same degree of diagnostic accuracy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Empresa Pública Hospital de Poniente de Almería, El Ejido, Almería, Spain. afernandezsuarez@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernández-Suárez
authors.forename: Sonsoles
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reneses
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wichmann
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Criado
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Núñez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000276:immunology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; C487763:cyclic citrullinated peptide