title: Seronegative rheumatoid arthritis: pathogenetic and therapeutic aspects.
abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has long been recognised as a highly heterogeneous disease of immune dysregulation. Despite an ever-growing appreciation of the role of circulating autoantibodies in the development of 'seropositive' disease, the pathogenesis of seronegative RA remains poorly understood. Accumulating evidence suggests that RA 'serotypes', in fact, reflect distinct disease entities that, despite their clinical overlap, diverge in respect of genetic architecture, cellular pathology and even therapeutic responsiveness. Focussing on seronegative RA, this review considers these concepts and their implications for the management of patients with this challenging, though sometimes overlooked, condition.
authors.affiliation: NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Electronic address: arthur.pratt@ncl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Arthur G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.affiliation: NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Electronic address: john.isaacs@ncl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Isaacs
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens
keywords: Autoantibody-negative; Pathogenesis; Rheumatoid arthritis; Seronegative; Treatment