ACR 2022 Tweet by Dr. Rachel Tate

Patients with clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA), a common prequel to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), showed different patterns of symptoms and progression depending on whether they tested positive for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), researchers found.

A current review of seronegative RA (SNRA) by D’Onofrio, et al in npj Autoimmunity shows the diverse fate of seronegative RA - which can resolve, persist or become refractory. Clearly dedicated trials of SNRA are needed to better predict.

Biomarker interest has grown considerably in the last 2 decades, owing to advances in genetics, imaging, protein, and multiomics. Despite these advances, biomarkers as the predictive holy grail of RA therapeutics and prognostication have not yet advanced beyond rheumatoid serologies and C-reactive protein (CRP).