Rheumatoid Factors: Clinical Applications

Rheumatoid Factors: Clinical Applications

Rheumatoid factors are antibodies directed against the Fc region of immunoglobulin G. First detected in patients with rheumatoid arthritis 70 years ago, they can also be found in patients with other autoimmune and nonautoimmune conditions, as well as in healthy subjects. Rheumatoid factors form part of the workup for the differential diagnosis of arthropathies. In clinical practice, it is recom...

Clinical significance of rheumatoid factors in early rheumatoid arthritis: results of a follow up study.

Serum rheumatoid factors (RF) were measured yearly in 135 women with rheumatoid arthritis by the Waaler-Rose and latex fixation tests and IgM, IgA, and IgG RF were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The patients were followed up from an early phase of the disease for a mean duration of six years. Patients with a persistently positive RF test, irrespective of the type of te...

Rheumatoid factors specific for active rheumatoid arthritis.

To measure rheumatoid factors specific for patients with rheumatoid arthritis an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to measure rheumatoid factors in human serum that bind a cross-reactive determinant shared on human and other mammalian IgG. Rheumatoid factors that cross link human IgG and sheep IgG in a double binding ELISA were almost completely specific (greater than 99%)...

Rheumatoid factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

180 Canadian Family Physician • Le Médecin de famille canadien d VOL 52: FEBRUARY • FÉVRIER 2006 I is important for family physicians to understand the role of rheumatoid factor (RF) in management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Rheumatoid factors are antibodies that recognize the Fc portion of IgG molecules as their antigens; RFs can be of any immunoglobulin isotype (IgM, IgG, IgE)...

Structural characterization of rheumatoid arthritis by MRI: applications in clinical research and in clinical practice.