New insights into which ACPA-positive individuals will develop clinical rheumatoid arthritis.

The article comments on a study which identified early risk factors for anti-citrullinated-protein-antibody (ACPA) positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It points out the limited the type of individual studied in preclinical RA and mentions approaches that can identify individuals at risk for future RA. It considers possible differences in specific antibody-antigen responses between individuals who develop RA and suggests the need to incorporate changing factors to predict future clinical RA.