Monday, March 17, 2014

Could a blood test diagnose arthritis?

Doctors have discovered an easy method of testing for rheumatoid arthritis symptoms years before signs and symptoms from the disease develop.

Scientists at Umea College in Sweden selected 80 people who was simply identified with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and who'd contributed bloodstream years before falling ill.

On testing the bloodstream samples, they found high amounts of antibodies to some substance known as anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide. High antibody levels are recognized to indicate a powerful chance of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

Exactly the same bloodstream samples also revealed an excessive amount of other kinds of antibodies known as rheumatoid factors, that also hint at impending disease. It's wished that by looking for both, it might be possible to possess a virtually foolproof test showing a person's chance of becoming ill.

Dr Madeline Devey from the Joint disease Research Campaign stated early recognition of anti-CCP antibodies might be a breakthrough in fighting against the problem. But she stressed it remains unclear whether or not they really trigger rheumatoid arthritis symptoms or are only a by-product from the disease itself.

"It could eventually result in mass screening, but we want more independent confirmation before we attempt this," she stated.


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