Anti-CCP Helps Early Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. Early-stage rheumatoid arthritis typically first affects small joints. As the condition progresses, symptoms spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips, and shoulders, ultimately leading to bone erosion and joint deformities. The RA microenvironment is often accompanied by high levels of inflammation, an imbalance of endogenous gases, and a vicious cycle of ineffective treatment. Early RA symptoms are not typical, and patients often tend to overlook them, leading to missed opportunities for proper diagnosis and treatment. The timing of diagnosis directly impacts the treatment outcomes and prognosis for patients, making early diagnosis crucial!

Diagnosis Methods for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Symptoms and Signs

Including joint-specific symptoms such as morning stiffness, joint swelling and pain, and joint deformities, as well as other non-joint symptoms.

Pros and Cons: Clinical diagnosis is convenient and low-cost, but early clinical symptoms in patients are not obvious or typical, leading to missed diagnoses and delayed treatment.

Imaging Examinations

Using imaging technologies such as X-rays, ultrasound, CT, and MRI.

Pros and Cons: Imaging has good specificity but is high-cost, has low sensitivity in early stages, poses certain risks to patients, and results depend on the operator's experience.

Laboratory Tests

Routine RA detection indicators:

Complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), anti-streptolysin O (ASO), rheumatoid factor (RF), etc.

Pros and Cons: Routine detection indicators are widely used and clinically prevalent but have poor specificity (e.g., CRP is an inflammation indicator, ASO is an indicator of streptococcal infection). They are increasingly inadequate for the complex diagnosis and treatment of RA.

Autoantibody detection indicators

Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (Anti-CCP), anti-keratin antibody (AKA), anti-perinuclear factor (APF)

Autoantibodies represented by Anti-CCP are emerging markers for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis, with high specificity and good sensitivity. In other words, if a patient shows symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, testing for Anti-CCP antibodies is more accurate than testing for rheumatoid factor. Additionally, Anti-CCP antibodies exist before clinical symptoms appear. This means that the patient might not yet feel joint pain but can still be diagnosed, greatly aiding in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and providing significant value for clinical diagnosis, especially early diagnosis.

Clinical Application of Anti-CCP in Diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis

Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (anti-CCP) belongs to anti-keratin antibodies. It contains amino acids and citrulline residues and has good specificity for rheumatoid arthritis patients. Clinically, it is used for:

Early Diagnosis

Anti-CCP appears 1-10 years before the clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis, making it suitable for health checks and early diagnosis in high-risk groups.

Differential Diagnosis

Anti-CCP has a specificity of up to 96% for rheumatoid diseases, making it one of the indicators for the differential diagnosis of arthritis caused by other diseases.

Prognosis and Treatment Evaluation

RA patients who test positive for Anti-CCP are significantly more likely to experience severe joint damage compared to those who test negative. The higher the Anti-CCP antibody concentration in a patient's serum, the more likely they are to have minor joint damage and a poorer prognosis. During treatment, regular testing of Anti-CCP antibodies can help assess the effectiveness of the treatment by comparing pre- and post-treatment antibody levels.

Anti-CCP Included in Domestic and International Diagnostic Criteria

In 2010, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) introduced diagnostic criteria for RA, recommending Anti-CCP as one of the diagnostic criteria. Additionally, the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines also indicate that Anti-CCP is significant for the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of rheumatoid arthritis.

Hotgen launched the Anti-CCP rheumatoid arthritis test kit to aid in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, protecting joint health!