Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide

Rheumatoid factor is seen in 3-10% of people over age 60 (Enzer et al., 2002 Korpilahde et al., 2003). In the Pima Indians, a population with an extremely high incidence of rheumatoid arthritis, the prevalence of rheumatoid factor is higher in females than in males (Enzer et al., 2002), but in other populations there is little difference by sex (Korpilahde et al., 2003). Rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies have been shown to be predictive of the development of rheumatoid arthritis (del Puente et al., 1988 Rantapaa-Dahlqvist et al., 2003). 

RA is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that predominantly affects the joints and in some cases also internal organs. The etiopathogenesis of this disease is not clear, but autoantibodies like the Rheumatoid Factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) play a key role in the joint damage. In terms of etiology, RA is nowadays considered as a multi-factorial disease where multiple "hits" are necessary to trigger the damage and clinical manifestations that characterize RA. 

Antibodies to Cyclic-citrullinated Peptides (Anti-CCPs)... 

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