title: Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies in children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of present study was to access the prevalence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies in children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), and to investigate the clinical significance and diagnostic value of the anti-CCP antibodies in correlation with age, sex & activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  This case-control study was performed on 50 patients with JIA in addition to 40 sex and age-matched children as a control group. The participants were recruited from rheumatology Outpatient Clinic of Cairo University Specialized Pediatric Hospital. Patients were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination, routine laboratory investigations and x-rays on involved joints. Both patients and controls underwent assay of anti-CCP antibodies by AxSYM Anti-CCP IgG Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay (MEIA) which is a semi-quantitative determination of the IgG class of autoantibodies specific to cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) in patients' serum or plasma. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test, ANOVA, and independent-samples t-test by SPSS version 15.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anti-CCP positivity was identified amongst patients with JIA, particularly those JIA patients experiencing RF positive polyarticular disease onset. Above all, it is important that anti-CCP positivity and bone erosions, degree of joint damage, and ESR levels were significantly correlated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anti-CCP could be utilized as a valuable marker in the polyarticular form of JIA to direct early, and could be aggressive therapeutic intervention.
authors: Paediatrics Specialty Registrar, West Yorkshire and the Humber, United Kingdom.
authors: Mohamed
authors: M
authors: Hamooda
authors: Professor of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors: Hala
authors: H
authors: Fouad
authors: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors: Nermeen
authors: N
authors: Galal
authors: Lecturer of Chemical and Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors: Nadia
authors: N
authors: Sewelam
authors: Assistant Lecturer of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors: Dina
authors: D
authors: Megahed
keywords: Anti-CCP antibodies; Juvenile idiopathic arthritis; Polyarticular