A controlled study of ANA+ RF- arthritis

Thirty (7.5%) of 401 adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were antinuclear antibody positive (ANA+) and rheumatoid factor negative (RF-), and 15 of 16 patients who were followed for a year or longer remained so. Clinical, other laboratory, and radiographic parameters were compared among this group and 90 matched RA controls divided into ANA+RF+, ANA-RF+, and ANA-RF- groups. All groups were identical, except the ANA-RF- group, which had significantly fewer nodules and less destructive disease than the other three.