Blood test could predict rheumatoid arthritis risk

Scientists have found a marker that can indicate your likelihood of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) up to 16 years before the condition takes effect. A team from the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at Oxford University found that a blood test that looks for antibodies could reliably show those who will contract the condition. The research, which we funded, could lead to early detection of rheumatoid arthritis, a disease which affects over 400,000 people in the UK. Rhematoid arthritis occurs when proteins are altered during inflammation in a process called citrullination. It means the altered immune response can cause antibodies to turn in on itself, causing the disease. Low rate of false positives Researchers tested for antibodies that are found in the citrullinated tenascin-C, a protein which is found in high levels in the joints of people with the disease. Lead researcher Dr Anja Schwenzer said: "When we looked at results from more than 2000 patients we found that testing for antibodies that target citrullinated tenascin-C (cTNC) could diagnose rheaumatoid arthritis in around 50% of cases, including some cases not identified by CCP. It also has a very low rate of false positives – it's 98% accurate at ruling out rheumatoid arthritis." Early detection is key The Kennedy Institute's Professor Kim Midwood said: "What is particularly exciting is that when we looked at samples taken from people before their arthritis began, we could see these antibodies to cT...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news