Evaluation of anti-CCP in systemic lupus erythematosus pa-tients in a referral center in Iran; A descriptive study

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients may have similar joint complaints in compare to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, some laboratory var-iables in both diseases may be associated with each other. It has been found that some patients with SLE may have anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP) which is specific for RA; although, the clinical significance of such findings is not well established. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of anti-CCP in SLE patients in a referral center in Iran.

In this cross-sectional study that was done during a ten-year period in Loghman Hakim hospital, 784 SLE patients who had SLE criteria based on American College of Rheumatology guideline were entered to the study. Demographic features and the serum levels of anti-CCP were evaluated in all patients. Statistical analysis was done by version 16 of SPSS software.

In this study, 11 male (9.6%) and 103 female (90.4%) who had SLE were included in the final analysis. The rate of SLE was higher in females. The mean age of patients was 40.2 ± 14.5. Anti-CCP was positive in 20 of 114 SLE patients (17.5%). In addition, the rate of anti-CCP positive was higher in females (17 females in compare to 3 males).

It was concluded that approximately 20% of Iranian patients with SLE may have positive anti-CCP. However, careful and prolonged follow-up will reveal the real clinical value of anti-CCP in each patient individually.