Association of rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody with demographic, clinical, and inflammatory parameters in rheumatoid arthritis

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, characterized by chronic inflammation that often leads to multiple peripheral joint destruction. It is associated with several autoantibodies such as anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (ACCP) and rheumatoid factor (RF). This study was conducted to find out the association between RF and ACCP seropositivity with demographic, clinical, and inflammatory parameters in RA patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, a total of 157 RA patients, aged between 20 and 69 years, who satisfied the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism 2010 criteria of RA were included. Serum samples were obtained from the clotted blood. Serum concentrations of ACCP, RF, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined using commercially available ELISA kits. The Westergren technique was used to estimate the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 27. P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. GraphPad Prism version 8.0.2 was used for analyzing Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: In the present study, a significant correlation was observed between serum RF and ACCP concentrations in RA patients (r = 0.551, P < 0.001). The significant associations were observed between RF seropositivity and morning stiffness (P < 0.001) and RF and ACCP seropositivity (P < 0.001) in RA patients. The correlations of both the autoantibodies, RF and ACCP, with inflammatory markers, namely CRP and ESR, were found to be very low. CONCLUSIONS: Significantly increased serum levels of RF and ACCP in RA patients have been associated with an increased risk of developing RA. The strong association between the autoantibodies may influence early disease progression and pathogenesis.