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Antibodies against collagen II associated with good prognosis for patients with RA
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Antibodies against the cartilage protein collagen II were associated with favorable inflammatory outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to recently published data.
“Analyzing these antibodies, in combination with other relevant antibodies, could be used for predicting prognosis and choosing therapy for rheumatoid arthritis patients,” Johan Rönnelid, MD, in the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University in Sweden, said in a press release.
Rönnelid and colleagues measured antifibrillar collagen type II (anti-CII) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP)2 at baseline in 773 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, researchers measured RA disease activity at eight time points during a period of 5 years and examined any association with HLA-DRB1 alleles.
Anti-CII was associated with elevated CRP, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, swollen joint count, DAS28 and DAS28CRP at diagnosis and up to 6 months, as well as overall improvement in each measurement during follow-up; however, anti-CCP2 was associated with SJC and DAS28 from 6 months to 5 years, but not earlier, and was associated with overall deterioration in each measurement with follow-up. In addition, anti-CII-positive patients had EULAR good or moderate responses more often than anti-CII-negative patients. Anti-CII was linked with HLA-DRB1*01 and HLA-DRB1*03, and double-positive patients had more than 14-times higher mean anti-CII levels than HLA double-negative patients. Smoking was associated with elevated anti-CCP2, and smokers had lower-anti-CII levels.
“In all, our findings suggest that a combined analysis of antibodies against collagen and antibodies against citrullinated peptides could be a new tool for predicting the disease course and perhaps also for choosing therapy in newly diagnosed RA patients,” Rönnelid said in the release. – by Will Offit
Disclosures: The researchers report funding by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Rheumatism Association, King Gustav 5th 80-year foundation and ALF grants provided by the Uppsala County Council.
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