The Role and Research Progress of ACPA in the Diagnosis and Pathological Mechanism of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

An autoimmune condition known as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by persistent polyarticular inflammation. Within two years of the disease's onset, irreparable bone and joint deterioration can occur as a result of the inflammatory course of the illness, leading to joint deformity and loss of function. In most patients diagnosed with RA, a range of autoantibodies, particularly anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), can be detected months to years before the onset of clinically recognizable disease. Additionally, an increasing number of studies suggest that ACPA is involved in the pathogenesis of RA and may play a direct pathogenic role in the disease. This paper focuses on the role of ACPA in the pathomechanism of RA and discusses its unique clinical applications for the early identification and prediction of RA, as well as the influencing factors. Moreover, this article outlines the association of ACPA-positive (ACPA+) RA with other autoimmune diseases.