British Medical Journal: 32% Rheumatoid Arthritis risk for Females, aged 50-69, positve for rheumatoid factor | Immunopathology & Immunotherapy | Scoop.it
From www.bmj.com - October 5, 2012 1:54 PM

Elevated rheumatoid factor and long term risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective cohort study.

Sune F Nielsen, Stig E Bojesen, Peter Schnohr, Børge G Nordestgaard.

BMJ 2012; 345 doi: 10.1136/bmj.e5244 (Published 6 September 2012)Cite this as: BMJ 2012;345:e5244

Conclusion Individuals in the general population with elevated rheumatoid factor have up to 26-fold greater long term risk of rheumatoid arthritis, and up to 32% 10 year absolute risk of rheumatoid arthritis. These novel findings may lead to revision of guidelines for early referral to a rheumatologist and early arthritis clinics based on rheumatoid factor testing.