INTRODUCTION It is still unclear how important the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) is in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of selected aPL in RA patients and their correlation with the presence of markers for RA antibodies and with disease activity. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study group consisted of 97 patients...

OBJECTIVE To compare the performance of an extended model and a simplified prognostic model for joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on 3 baseline risk factors: anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP), erosions, and acute-phase reaction. METHODS Data were used from the Nijmegen early RA cohort. An extended model and a simplified baseline prediction model were develop...

INTRODUCTION Our objective was to determine which one of the two function charts available in Spain to calculate cardiovascular (CV) risk, Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) or Framingham-REgistre GIroní del COR (REGICOR), should be used in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS A series of RA patients seen over a one-year period without history of CV events were assessed. ...

A 47-year-old woman presented with an approximately 1.5-year history of swelling and pain in the hand, elbow, shoulder, knee, and temporomandibular joint; bruising (either spontaneously or following a trauma); and pruritus all over the body. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and was prescribed immunosuppressive drugs. Although the patient regularly took these medications, her joi...

Antibodies to citrullinated proteins/peptides (ACPAs) are the second serological marker to have recently been included in the 2010 ACR/EULAR Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Classification Criteria, which are focused on early diagnosis and therapy. This review discusses their history and some clinical aspects of ACPAs, focusing on the diagnostic utility of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) ...

INTRODUCTION Patients with tuberculosis (TB) frequently produce anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA). The objective of this study is to characterize the citrulline-dependence of the ACPA reactivity in sera of patients with mycobacterium infections. METHODS Serum samples of 134 patients with untreated mycobacterium infections (122 TB, 12 nontuberculous mycobacterium) were tested for an...

INTRODUCTION Our objective was to find out if there are antibodies binding to homocitrulline-containing type I and II collagen carboxyterminal telopeptides in sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and if these antibodies cross-react with citrulline and homocitrulline in the same peptide sequence. METHODS A total of 72 RA and 72 control sera were analyzed for binding using enzyme-li...