A blood test could diagnose 15 years before the onset of the disease, rheumatoid arthritis (PR), according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Annals of Rheumatic Diseases. A discovery that could make it possible to establish early treatments to reduce the symptoms of this disabling and painful disease.
This performance was possible thanks to the discovery of a marker, the tenascin-C protein, and the possibility of detecting “its” antibodies years before the development of rheumatism. “When inflammation develops in the body, certain proteins are changed through a process called ‘citrullination’. They trigger an immune response in the body, which “turns against itself” (autoimmune reaction) and attacks the joints in particular, which leads to rheumatoid arthritis”, explains Anja Schwenzer from the department of orthopedics and rheumatology at the University of Oxford.
“That is why anti-citrullinated protein antibody tests are already being used to diagnose the disease. »
To validate their results, researchers from the University of Oxford (United Kingdom) tested this new means of diagnosis on more than 2000 patients. They observed that it would make it possible to diagnose the disease in about 50% of cases, including cases not identified by conventional tests. Its false positive rate is very low.
Arthritis, a disabling disease
Arthritis is an inflammation of thejoint, which leads to the secretion of quinines, substances that gradually destroy the joint. It causes pain especially at rest (especially at night), which can decrease during physical activity or morning exercise. It mainly affects the joints of the hands and feet.
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