Could a blood test diagnose arthritis?

Doctors have found a simple way of testing for rheumatoid arthritis years before symptoms of the disease develop.

Researchers at Umea University in Sweden selected 80 people who had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and who had donated blood years before falling ill.

On testing the blood samples, they discovered high levels of antibodies to a substance called anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide. High antibody levels are known to indicate a strong risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

The same blood samples also revealed an excess of other types of antibodies called rheumatoid factors, which also hint at impending disease. It is hoped that by checking for both, it may be possible to have a virtually foolproof test showing an individual's risk of becoming ill.

Dr Madeline Devey of the Arthritis Research Campaign said early detection of anti-CCP antibodies could be a breakthrough in the fight against the condition. But she stressed it remains unclear whether they actually trigger rheumatoid arthritis or are just a by-product of the disease itself.

"It might eventually lead to mass screening, but we need more independent confirmation before we embark on this," she said.

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