Autoantibodies in early arthritis: Advances in diagnosis and prognostication

W. Hueber, P.J. Utz, W.H. Robinson

Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.

ABSTRACT
Several excellent reviews have recently been published on the significance of autoantibodies in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (1-4). Here we: (i) review selected longitudinal studies examining the predictive utility of autoantibodies in early arthritis and early RA cohorts; (ii) assess the relevance of autoantibodies as an independent parameter for prediction and prognostication of RA; and (iii) describe the potential of multiplex autoantibody assays, including miniaturized, high-throughput microarray technology, to improve diagnosis and prognostication in recent-onset synovitis/early arthritis patients. 

Key words
Autoantibodies, early arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis,proteomics.

Please address correspondence to: William H. Robinson, MD, PhD, GRECC, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 5801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA.
E-mail: wrobins@stanford.edu

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2003; 21: (Suppl. 31): S59-S64.
© Copyright Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 2003.