History and diagnostic value of antibodies to citrullinated proteins in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory joint disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies. The best known autoantibody is the rheumatoid factor. Another group of antibodies directed against citrullinated epitopes is proven to be more specific for rheumatoid arthritis. This review gives an overview of the history of the different anti-citrullinated protein antibody detection methods and their diagnostic and prognostic properties in RA.