Comparison of Rheumatoid Factor and anti-Cyclic-Citrullinated protein antibodies for the Diagnosis of rheumatic arthritis in Khartoum, Sudan

Abstract

Background: The objective of the current study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of anti-Cyclic-Citrullinated protein antibodies (anti-CCP antibodies) as compared to that of Rheumatoid Factor (RF) in diagnosing patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Methodology Fifty six samples were collected from Sudanese patients (46 females, 9 males) with rheumatic diseases who visited the rheumatology clinic ElRibat Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan. Titers of RF and anti-CCP antibodies of each patient were recorded. Sensitivity and specificity of the test were evaluated using ELISA as the gold standard method. Results The sensitivity of (RF) test (41/56) was 73.2% whereas the sensitivity of Anti CCP test (34/56) was 60.7%. The specificity of RF test (44/56) was 78.6%, whereas the specificity of Anti CCP test (54/56) was 96.4%. Conclusions The combination of anti-CCP and RF tests provides nearly 100% and thus could be helpful in the differential diagnosis of RA and other rheumatic diseases