Summary
In this cross-sectional study a comparison was made of rheumatoid factor (RF) isotypes in 203 RF positive patients with arthritis. Of these, 129 had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 74 a milder disease that would formerly have been classified as probable RA. The majority (74%) of the RA patients had elevations of two or three RF isotypes compared with only 34% of the patients with the milder form of arthritis. A striking feature was that combined elevation of IgM RF and IgA RF was found in 67% of the RA patients compared to only 20% of the patients with milder arthritis who most frequently had an isolated elevation of IgM RF (41%). RA patients with an isolated elevation of IgA RF were younger and had a shorter disease history than RA patients with an isolated elevation in IgM RF or a combined elevation of IgA RF and IgM RF. The prevalence of raised IgM RF was, furthermore, found to increase with age and disease duration. We concluded that a raised level of IgA RF is an adverse phenomenon in patients with seropositive arthritis while patients with an isolated increase in IgM RF may be expected to experience a relatively mild disease course.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Egeland T, Munthe E (1983) Rheumatoid factors. Clin Rheum Dis 9:135–160
Silman AJ, Ollier B, Mageed RA (1991) Rheumatoid factor detection in the unaffected first degree relatives in families with multicase rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol 18:512–515
Hay FC, Nineham LJ, Roitt IM (1975) Routine assay for detection of IgG and IgM antiglobulins in seronegative and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. BMJ 2:203–204
Willems FTC, Klaassen de Kort CCM (1978) ELISA for rheumatoid factor. Lancet I:994–995
Eberhardt KB, Svenson B, Truedsson L, Wollheim FA (1988) The occurrence of rheumatoid factor isotypes in early definite rheumatoid arthritis-No relationship with erosions or disease activity. J Rheumatol 15:1070–1074
Gioud-Paquet M, Auvinet M, Raffin T, Girard P, Bouvier M, Lejeune E, Monier JC (1987) IgM rheumatoid factor (RF), IgA RF, IgE RF, and IgG RF detected by ELISA in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 46:65–71
Tarkowski A, Nilsson L-Å (1983) Isotype specific measurement of rheumatoid factor with reference to clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis. J Clin Lab Med 12:129–135
Nishimaki T, Watnabe S, Yoshida H, Kasukawa R (1985) Immunoglobulin class of rheumatoid factors detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Clin Rheumatol 2:145–151
Tuomi T, Palosuo T, Aho K (1986) The distribution of classspecific rheumatoid factors is similar in rheumatoid and pre-illness sera. Scand J Immunol 24:751–754
Teitsson I, Withrington RH, Seifert MH, Valdimarsson H (1984) Prospective study of early rheumatoid arthritis. I. Prognostic value of IgA rheumatoid factor. Ann Rheum Dis 43:673–678
Bampton JLM, Cawston TE, Kyle MV, Hazleman BL (1985) Measurement of rheumatoid factors by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and comparison with other methods. Ann Rheum Dis 44:13–19
Jónsson T, Árnason JA, Valdimarsson H (1986) Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) screening test for the detection of rheumatoid factor. Rheumatol Int 6:199–206
Ropes MW, Bennet GA, Cobb S, Jocox S, Jessar RA (1959) 1958 revision of diagnostic criteria for rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 2:16–20
Teitsson I, Teitsson HM, Hernandez LA, Sturrock RD (1986) IgA and IgM rheumatoid factors (RF) in established rheumatoid arthritis (RA): relationship to activity and radiological severity. Scand J Rheumatol [Suppl] 59:72
Jónsson T, Thorsteinsson J, Kolbeinsson A, Jónasdóttir E, Sigfússon N, Valdimarsson H (1992) A population study on the significance of rheumatoid factor isotypes in adults. Ann Rheum Dis (in press)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jónsson, T., Valdimarsson, H. Clinical significance of rheumatoid factor isotypes in seropositive arthritis. Rheumatol Int 12, 111–113 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290265
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290265