Role of modified anti-citrullinated vimentin antibodies in differentiation of rheumatoid arthritis patients from chronic hepatitis C infection patients with articular manifestations

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study was to determine the value of anti modified citrullinated and vimentin [MCV] antibodies in distinguishing Hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection patients with articular manifestations from RA patients. We studied 20 RA patients [HCV -ve], 20 chronic HCV infection patients with articular manifestation and 20 chronic HCV infection patients without articular manifestations. All patients were negative from HBV infection. All patients included in the study were subjected to routine thorough history taking, musculoskeletal examination, laboratory investigation immunological study including anti MCV antibodies by ELISA technique. There was a statistically significant high levels of anti MCV antibodies in RA patient compared with hepatitis C infection patients with or without articular manifestations. [f= 24.32, P= 0.0001]. Nineteen RA patients [95%] were anti MCV positive and only one case [5%] in each group of hepatitis C infection patients were positive for anti MCV antibodies. This indicates that anti MCV antibodies can be helpful in discriminating RA patients from chronic HCV infection patients with articular involvement