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Clinical significance of rheumatoid factor isotypes in seropositive arthritis

Rheumatology International volume 12, pages 111–113 (1992)Cite this article

Summary

In this cross-sectional study a comparison was made of rheumatoid factor (RF) isotypes in 203 RF positive patients with arthritis. Of these, 129 had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 74 a milder disease that would formerly have been classified as probable RA. The majority (74%) of the RA patients had elevations of two or three RF isotypes compared with only 34% of the patients with the milder form of arthritis. A striking feature was that combined elevation of IgM RF and IgA RF was found in 67% of the RA patients compared to only 20% of the patients with milder arthritis who most frequently had an isolated elevation of IgM RF (41%). RA patients with an isolated elevation of IgA RF were younger and had a shorter disease history than RA patients with an isolated elevation in IgM RF or a combined elevation of IgA RF and IgM RF. The prevalence of raised IgM RF was, furthermore, found to increase with age and disease duration. We concluded that a raised level of IgA RF is an adverse phenomenon in patients with seropositive arthritis while patients with an isolated increase in IgM RF may be expected to experience a relatively mild disease course.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, National University Hospital, Landspítalinn, 101, Reykjavík, Iceland

    T. Jónsson & H. Valdimarsson

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  1. T. Jónsson
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  2. H. Valdimarsson
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Jónsson, T., Valdimarsson, H. Clinical significance of rheumatoid factor isotypes in seropositive arthritis. Rheumatol Int 12, 111–113 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290265

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290265

Key words

  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Rheumatoid factor
  • Rheumatoid factor isotypes
  • ELISA