A novel bedside test for ACPA: the CCPoint test is moving the laboratory to the rheumatologist's office

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune destructive joint disease affecting 1 % of the general population. In recent years, the benefits of identifying RA at an early stage and initiating therapy before joint damage occurs have been acknowledged. An elevated anti-citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) level serves as a marker for the early diagnosis of RA. Often the diagnosis is delayed because conventional methods of antibody detection require referral to a specific laboratory. In the current study, we determined the diagnostic accuracy of a new lateral flow point-of-care kit available for ACPA detection in the rheumatologist office. The presence of ACPA was determined by the visually read, qualitative rapid CCPoint