%0 Journal Article
%T Anti-CCP Antibodies Are Not Associated with Familial Mediterranean Fever in Childhood
%A Hatice Onur
%A Hale Aral
%A Vefik Arica
%A Gamze Bercem
%A Murat Usta
%A £¿zgur Kasapcopur
%J International Journal of Rheumatology
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/498581
%X Objective. Anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP) testing is useful in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with high specificity. Arthritis is a very common clinical manifestation in children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). The aim of the study was to show the presence of anti-CCP antibodies in child individuals diagnosed with FMF. Material and Methods. The study groups comprised one hundred and twenty-six patients (126) diagnosed with FMF (female/male ( ): 66/60) and 50 healthy controls (female/male ( ): 25/25). Clinical and laboratory assessments of the FMF patients were performed during attack-free periods. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and anti-CCP antibody levels were measured. Results. Anti-CCP was negative in healthy controls and also in all FMF patients. There was not a significant difference in anti-CCP between the patient and the control groups. Our study has shown that anti-CCP was correlated moderately with age ( ; ), duration of illness ( ; ), and colchicine therapy ( ; ). Conclusion. Our data show that anti-CCP antibodies are not associated with FMF. Anti-CCP does not have a priority for identifying FMF arthritis from the other inflammatory arthritis. 1. Introduction Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease that is prevalent among eastern Mediterranean populations, mainly non-Ashkenazi Jews, Armenians, Turks, and Arabs [1]. Patients suffer from recurrent self-limited inflammatory febrile attacks, abdominal, chest, or joint pain. It is still unknown what triggers or ends these periodical attacks [2, 3]. Cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) autoantibodies bind antigenic determinants that contain unusual amino acid citrulline. Citrulline is a nonstandard amino acid as it is not incorporated into proteins during protein synthesis [4]. Citrullination or deimination is an enzyme-catalysed process in which the positively charged NH2-group of amino acid arginine is hydrolyzed to a neutral oxygen group. It is this oxygen group of peptidylcitrulline that is specifically recognized by autoantibodies in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The citrulline residues are essential part of the antigenic determinants recognized by the RA antibodies. So anti-CCP testing is particularly useful in the diagnosis of RA with high specificity present early in the disease process [5, 6]. Although anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) levels were investigated in several times in rheumatoid arthritis, rare investigation in FMF arthritis has been done. Arthritis
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijr/2013/498581/