Anti Carbamylated Protein Antibodies as Adiagnostic Marker in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and its Association with Disease Activity

Abstract

heumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive, systemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology with a worldwide prevalence estimated at 0.3% to 1.2% (Halabi et al., 2015). RA affects around 1% of the population with a female to male ratio of approximately 2.5–1. The incidence of RA increases with age and it most commonly affects women aged 40–60 years (Smolen et al., 2016). RA primarily affects the lining of the synovial joints and can cause progressive disability, and socioeconomic burdens. The clinical manifestations of symmetrical joint involvement include arthralgia, swelling, redness, and even limiting the range of motion (Cho et al., 2017).