Seronegative RA May Be on the Rise

The next step is to investigate whether or not the proportion of patients positive vs. negative for CCP-antibody is changing across the decades, Dr. Myasoedova suggests. “Investigating trends in CCP-antibody positivity in RA patients would be important to understanding the dynamics of serological subtypes of RA.”

She says studies investigating environmental, genetic and other factors that may influence serological profile of RA are needed to further understand the nature of the observed trends.

Carina Stanton is a freelance science journalist based in Denver.

References

1. Doran MF, Pond GR, Crowson CS, et al. Trends in incidence and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis in Rochester, Minnesota, over a forty-year period. Arthritis Rheum. 2002 Mar;46(3):625–631.
2. Myasoedova E, Crowson CS, Kremers HM, et al. Is the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis rising?: Results from Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1955–2007. Arthritis Rheum. 2010;62(6):1576–1582.
3. Myasoedova E, Davis J, Matteson E, et al. Is the epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) changing? Results from a population-based incidence cohort of RA patients, 2005–2014 [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2019 Oct;71(suppl 10).
4. Coffey CM, Crowson CS, Myasoedova E, et al. Evidence of diagnostic and treatment delay in seronegative rheumatoid arthritis: Missing the window of opportunity. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2019;94(11):2241–2248.