title: Evaluation of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies may be beneficial in RF-negative juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients.
abstract: Despite the high diagnostic and prognostic performance in adult rheumatoid arthritis, the role of antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is controversial. Occurrence of anti-CCP was mainly seen in rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive polyarthritis patients. In the present study, our aim was to investigate the prevalence and significance of anti-CCP for subjects with JIA in our population. We evaluated anti-CCP reactivity in the sera of 70 patients with various subtypes of JIA in a prospective cohort study. Anti-CCP titres were correlated with the evolution of joint involvement and the presence of joint damage. Nine JIA patients were seropositive for anti-CCP with respect to the cut-off value of the test. In our cohort, 34 patients had a polyarticular joint disease, most of them being RF-negative (30/34, 88 %). All four RF-positive polyarthritis patients had high anti-CCP concentrations and an aggressive erosive disease. In the RF-negative JIA patients, anti-CCP reactivity was in lower titres but significantly associated with polyarticular joint involvement (p = 0.016) and also with the presence of joint damage (p < 0.001). Presence of anti-CCP, at both low and high concentration, was significantly associated with a more severe articular disease in our JIA patients. Investigating anti-CCP should clearly be taken into consideration even among patients with JIA subtypes other than RF-positive polyarthritis.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Paediatrics, "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. mihaelaspirchez@gmail.com.|2nd Paediatric Clinic, Children's Hospital at Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Crisan Street, 400177, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. mihaelaspirchez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spârchez
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Paediatrics, "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Nicolae
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miu
authors.affiliation: 2nd Paediatric Clinic, Children's Hospital at Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Crisan Street, 400177, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bolba
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iancu
authors.affiliation: 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Zeno
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Spârchez
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rednic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000276:immunology*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; C487763:cyclic citrullinated peptide; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor
keywords: Antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide; Joint damage; Juvenile idiopathic arthritis; Outcome