European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

INTRODUCTION Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is the most common form of chronic symmetrical inflammatory arthritis and often results in joint damage and physical disability. RA may result in a variety of extra-articular manifestations, including fatigue, subcutaneous nodules, lung involvement pericarditis, peripheral neuropathy, vasculitis, and hematologic abnormalities. Anti-CCP antibodies are auto antibodies which contains citrulline appears early phase of RA patients. During the course of the disease RA patients need to be diagnosed very early, possibly before diagnostic criteria are fulfilled or may be even before clinical symptoms are apparent. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in the department of Microbiology in a tertiary care hospital after obtaining approval from Institutional Ethical Committee. Samples were collected under aseptic precautions from the patients attending orthopaedic department and general medicine department. The total serum samples were 186 and were tested and interpreted by LA method (SPAN DIAGNOSTICS, SACHIN SURAT) for Rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP antibodies by IMUNOSCAN CCPLUS ELISA (EURODIAGNOSTICA, AB, SWEDEN). Results Among 48 anti-CCP positives in suspected RA cases, females were 33 (68.75%), males were 15 (31.25%). And among 7 ACCP positive in controls, females were 5 (71.43 %) and males were 2 (28.57 %). Based on the cut off value >10 IU/ml among 80 clinically suspected cases of RA, 50 sera were positive for RF by LA. In 106 participants who are controls, only 23 (21.7%) samples were positive. The prevalence is 43% .The sensitivity was 62.50%. The specificity was 78.3 %. Among 50 rheumatoid factor positives in case group, 48 sera were positive for anti-CCP test. Among 23 rheumatoid factor positives in control group, 7 were positive for anti-CCP test (as shown in table 2). Rheumatoid factor test could showed false positive result and those were observed as negative by anti-CCP test which is specific test.  CONCLUSION: The anti-CCP antibody assay is a valuable tool for the classification criteria of RA as they may predict the eventual development into RA when found in undifferentiated arthritis patients. Because of its low sensitivity it does not allow its use as a screening test, but because of its high specificity when compared to Rheumatoid factor, it is one of the most useful specific serological test for the diagnosis of RA. Combined use of RF and anti- CCP is a better tool for the diagnosis of RA.