A study published in the International Journal of Molecular Science depicted that autoantibodies (autoAB) such as; rheumatoid factors (RF), anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) and anti-carbamylated protein antibodies (anti-CarP Abs) had played a significant role in the diagnosis and prediction of medication choice for the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

According to the author, different studies have been conducted till now that reveal these three antibodies have many common features promoting RA development thus helps in detecting the onset of disease years before.

The evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses include a total of 14 studies of rituximab treatment and 6 studies of tocilizumab treatment revealed that positive RF patients exhibit a better response to rituximab and tocilizumab than abatacept. Some studies have shown that the level of RF decreased in patients who underwent treatments, including conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (cDMARDs) and various biologics, including infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, rituximab, and abatacept or tocilizumab, which results in conflicting levels of RF.

The ongoing STAPRA trial, StopRA study and APIPPRA trial aim to prevent progression of the disease among patients with high titers of ACPA or ACPA and RF IgM utilizing atorvastatin, hydroxyquinone and abatacept before the onset of RA. However, the levels of antibodies were associated with genetic and environmental risk factors for the development of RA.