Antifilaggrin Autoantibodies In Rheumatoid Arthritis

To investigate the significance of antifilaggrin autoantibodies (AFA) in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the relationship with disease activity, severity, antikeratin antibodies (AKA) and antiperinuclear factor (APF). Patients and Methods 178 cases of RA patients were included in the study group, among them there Were 31 patients whose disease duration were less than 1 year and had no apparent joint erosions demonstrated on plain X ray film. Control groups included 46 cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) ,14 osteoarthritis (OA) ,10 Gout, 10 juvenile chronic arthritis(JCA), 18 ankylosing spondylitis( AS ),8 other spondyloarthropathy( SpA), 13 other rheumatic disease and 76 healthy adults. The serum samples were obtained from these patients who treated at the department of rheumatology of the first affiliated hospital of Shantou University Medical College during 1996-2000. Clinical data included age and age at onset, sex ,disease duration, 28-joint-index, tender joint counts, swollen joint counts and joint counts of activity limitation, patient抯 and physician抯 global assessment of disease activity, global functional status; laboratory findings included ESR, CRP, Jmmunoglobulins, Y -globulin, HLA- DRB 1 alleles genotyping, autoantibodies such as 1gM-RE, ANA, antiperinuclear factor (APF), antikeratin antibodies (AKA), anti-RA33, anti-Sa antibodies, antibodies to type II collagens. Radiological data included Steinbrocker抯 classification and Sharp抯 radiological progression scores. Filaggrin was extracted from the skin of the patients who had breast cancer undergoing mammectomy. Anti filaggrin autoantibodies (AFA) were detected at the sera titer of 1: 10 by Western blotting. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software package. The differences between the mean values were tested with t test .The differences among the mean values were analysis of variance. The Chi-squared test was used to compare percentages. Steinbrocker?s classification and 1991 revised classification of global functional status were tested with Wilcoxin抯 rank test. Correlations were sought by computing Spearman抯 rank correlation coefficient. These tests were considered significant, when p