Question about Anti-CCP | Arthritis Information

 

I have not had this test. Since m RF is negative, would this test confirm RA if I have it, or do sero-negative RA patients also have negative anti-ccp?

Just wondering if running this test will help me get a diagnosis, or be just another dead end.
I'm not sure if you can be RF neg and have a positive CCP.  But it is the test that -if positive- confirms more definitely than any other test if you have RA.  Ask for the test.  Push for it.  You really do have to take charge, it's your body. If nothing else it's more information.   Good luck.I have positive rf and negative ccp, as of 1/08.  I know that doesn't help but thought I'd let you know!!

I am negative for RF and Anti-CCP along with the others but recently turned up positive for ANA, 1.160 speckled pattern, after having been Dx'd with Sero-Negative RA for 3 years.

Diagnosing RA is a matter of family history, your medical history and physical symptoms along with blood work results.

[QUOTE=reegie]I have positive rf and negative ccp, as of 1/08.  I know that doesn't help but thought I'd let you know!![/QUOTE] Both my grandmother (mom's mother) and aunt (mom's sister) have RA. My grandmother also has Lupus and Diabetes, and my aunt has OA as well.

My bloodwork has not been very telling, elevated SED and elevated CRP with
Negative RF, negative HLA-B27, and negative ANA. Heart workup was fine aside from high blood pressure and high resting pulse rate.

The Drs. are stumped. I switched Drs and this new one is convinced it is a rheumatic AI of some sort, or possibly a type of vasculitis.  I go back on Wednesday and I am hoping to get some answers, but after 9 months am doubtful.

Originally posted by reegie I have positive rf and negative ccp, as of 1/08.  I know that doesn't help but thought I'd let you know!!

Love too!!!I seem to remember my rheumy saying he only did this test once and I was negative. I'm also sero neg for ra, but I was ANA Pos 1:320, but last test I think I was negative again -maybe the meds I'm on? It's all so dang confusing! negative RA factor and positive Anti CCP here. I am RF, anti-CCP and ANA negative.  I did have elevated ESD and CRP. I have to say, if I had your family history, I think my RD would have dx without a second opinion.  Not that family history is everything, but he asked me a lot about it.  Have you told your doctors about the RA in your family?  I am wondering why they are still so perplexed...Katie, your test results look similar to mine except I have not had the anti-CCP done.

Yes they gave me a family history form to fill out and I put it on there as well as told them during m visit (in case they didn't read the form).

The strange thing is I exhibit almost all of the RA symptoms and none of the Drs. I have seen have done an xray or MRI. The 1st RD did no tests and did not even do a physical exam. He just looked a my 6 month old blood work and said "I can't help you, I don't think you have anything that we treat here" (at the Rheumatology clinic), he suggested I had "Rheumatism" and I should lose weight and exercise.

I am a psychology student and although I deal with children and families in my practicum, I think I would know if I were a raving lunatic and not really physically ill. As far as I know you can't fake redness, swelling, and stiffness. So even if I were faking the fatigue and being in pain the other obvious symptoms are there even if it is not the worst case of swelling you've ever seen.

I am just frustrated because I have spent hundreds of dollars and the insurance has spent thousands and I am in the same place I was at the beginning. I am in a point where I have to make a decision because finances are so tight. I wish I could get a diagnosis and start treatment, but if it doesn't happen soon I don't know what I can do since I will be flat broke and if it comes down to food or a Dr I'm gonna have to buy food. I can't let my kids go hungry.

Question: What is Anti-CCP? What Does Anti-CCP Indicate?

What is anti-CCP? What does anti-CCP indicate? When is it appropriate to have this test? Does anti-CCP determine if a patient has rheumatoid arthritis?

Answer:

What is anti-CCP?

Anti-CCP, which stands for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, is a new and exciting blood test to help doctors confirm a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Guide To Rheumatoid Arthritis

When is it appropriate to have this test? Does anti-CCP determine if a patient has rheumatoid arthritis?

Anti-CCP is a very useful test to order during the diagnostic evaluation of a person who may have rheumatoid arthritis. If present in such a patient at a moderate to high level, it not only confirms the diagnosis but also may indicate that the patient is at increased risk for damage to the joints. (Low levels of this antibody are less significant.) In the past, doctors relied on another antibody, the rheumatoid factor (RF) to help confirm a diagnosis.

What does anti-CCP indicate?

While the rheumatoid factor is more common in rheumatoid arthritis patients, many patients with a positive test do not have rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, the presence of the rheumatoid factor has less prognostic significance than the CCP. Of interest is that if your rheumatoid factor is negative, you are less likely to have a positive CCP. Both blood tests are recommended in the initial evaluation of a patient with suspected rheumatoid arthritis

My RF was 657 and my anti ccp greater than 250.  I am dx with Palandromic Rheumatism which they tell me I will have a 50% chance (probably higher with numbers like that) of moving into RA.

My RA titer was 1:640 with anti-ccp antibodies greater than 250.  The resident I saw first said the Anti-CCP was a more specific test for RA and referred me to a RD.  But on physical exam she/he didn't see much -  he thought maybe I had a mild case until he did xrays of my feet which show erosions on the baby toes.  He told me from that moment we may have to go aggresively at this with medication.
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