title: Anti-citrullinated protein antibody and rheumatoid factor in patients with end-stage renal disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and on hemodialysis (HD) are at increased risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as a result of defective immunity. Our aim was to examine if ESRD and the length of HD treatment impact the clinical utility of antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides (anti-CCP) and rheumatoid factor (RF) as diagnostic tools for RA.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 94 subjects in our study: 37 healthy volunteers and 57 patients with ESRD who had been undergoing HD for 1-12 years, and without confirmed RA. In order to test our hypothesis, we measured and correlated anti-CCP and RF as laboratory markers of RA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study showed that there is no significant difference between values for anti-CCP (p=0.11) and RF (p=0.98) in control subjects as well as in patients undergoing HD, regardless of the length of time that patients had been undergoing HD treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study indicates that HD does not impair the specificity of anti-CCP and RF for RA in patients where the disease has not yet developed. Future prospective studies may show whether there is any use in determinating RF, and especially anti-CCP, as early predictors of RA in patients with ESRD who are at greater risk of developing this condition.
authors: Clinical Department for Laboratory Diagnostic, Dubrava University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors: Zeljko
authors: Z
authors: Romic
authors: Adriana
authors: A
authors: Unic
authors: Lovorka
authors: L
authors: Derek
authors: Marcela
authors: M
authors: Zivkovic
authors: Domagoj
authors: D
authors: Marijancevic
authors: Petar
authors: P
authors: Kes
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Pehar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; C487763:cyclic citrullinated peptide; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor