THE PREVALENCE OF SERUM IgG ANTIBODIES TO TYPE II COLLAGEN IN AMERICAN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Abstract

Serum IgG antibody levels to native and denatured bovine type II collagen were elevated in 31.5 and 21.5% sera respectively from 200 American patients with RA. The prevalence of serum antibodies to native type II collagen is significantly higher than previously found in large studies of the prevalence of this autoantibody in Britain and Japan when using the same methodology.