Determination of Rheumatoid Factor in Suspected Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Attending Selected Hospitals in Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was carried out to provide information on RF among RA especially in the Northern part of Nigeria is relatively scarce. As such, rheumatoid factor levels in blood could serve as a predictive index for the onset of Rheumatoid arthritis. A total of 182 sera samples were analyse for the presence of IgM rheumatoid factor by ELISA. Seventeen (17) were found to be positive and 165 negative giving a prevalence of 9.3% and 90.7% respectively. The age range of 50 and above had the highest RF positive cases of 4.9%. This is followed by the eighteen (18) to thirty (30) age range. The association was not significant at p-value of 0.05. Similarly, the relationship between RF and gender showed that 5.5% (n=101) of females were positive while than 3.8% (n=81) of males were positive. The association was not significant. The highest participants had tertiary level of education which has a RF prevalence of 4.4%. Most of the participants that tested positive for RF were married (8.2%). There was no significant association between positivity for RF and level of education as well as marital status. There was however no statistical significant association between RF and the signs and symptoms (stiffness of joints, swelling around the joints, general fatigue, muscle pains, fever 13 and joint pains). Out of the 29 patients with history investigated for RA, 4 (2.2%) were positive for RF. Among the participants that smoke cigarette (n=4), none was RF positive. Both factors did not show significant association at a p-value of 0.05. The information in this study would serve as a predictive index for the onset of Rheumatoid arthritis.

Keywords: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rheumatoid Factor, Auto-immune disease, synovial inflammation