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The Role of Anti-Cyclic Cytrullinate Antibodies Testing in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease, which leads to joint destruction and deformity and is often accompanied by systemic complications. It is generally considered an autoimmune disease characterized by several autoantibodies. The impressive advances made in understanding the biological mechanisms of RA have led to more focused, directed therapies that have joined, and in many cases overcome, more traditional treatments. Along the last decade, the so-called biological anti-TNF-alpha agents have been shown to reduce disease activity, to slow disease progression and to improve patients’ quality of life. The clear evidence that an early therapeutic intervention improves the overall outcome of the disease supports the importance of an early diagnosis. In the last years, several studies showed that anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP) represent a sensitive and specific serologic marker for RA. Moreover, a large body of evidence has shown that anti-CCP may also serve as an early diagnostic and prognostic marker in RA. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding anti-CCP focusing in particular on their clinical specificity and prognostic value in RA.

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Acknowledgement

Grant support: This work was supported by Fondazione Umberto di Mario ONLUS, MIUR-PRIN 2005.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Clinica e Terapia Medica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Policlinico Umberto I, V.le del Policlinico 155, 00161, Roma, Italy

    Cristiano Alessandri, Roberta Priori, Mariagrazia Modesti, Riccardo Mancini & Guido Valesini

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  1. Cristiano Alessandri
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  2. Roberta Priori
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  3. Mariagrazia Modesti
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  4. Riccardo Mancini
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  5. Guido Valesini
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Correspondence to Guido Valesini.

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Alessandri, C., Priori, R., Modesti, M. et al. The Role of Anti-Cyclic Cytrullinate Antibodies Testing in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Clinic Rev Allerg Immunol 34, 45–49 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12016-007-8023-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12016-007-8023-4

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