Test Diagnoses Early-Stage Rheumatoid Arthritis

An automated assay for the measurement of cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies in blood samples is a highly specific indicator for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Blood samples are analyzed for CCP levels through a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-moderate complexity test, which is available on two fully automated systems for autoimmune and allergy testing. The system requires calibration only once monthly, and delivers consistent, reproducible results. The specificity of testing for CCP in RA patients is greater than 96% and a positive CCP measurement provides the best prognosis of eventual disease severity.

The ELiA CCP assay was developed by Phadia AB (Uppsala, Sweden) and has been recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Michael Land, the company's U.S. president and general manager said: "The availability of this assay will offer healthcare providers a more accurate tool to diagnose this debilitating condition at an early stage in the disease compared with older testing methods. Diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis early is critical to effectively treat the condition before it progresses and causes permanent joint damage.”

RA is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by chronic inflammation in the joints.

Patients with RA have periodic flare-ups that can lead to irreversible joint destruction, if misdiagnosed or left untreated. The assay helps physicians identify RA very early in the course of the disease and enables them to initiate, if necessary, an aggressive course of treatment at a stage when medication is most likely to reduce disease progression and prevent joint damage.



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