Anti-CCP

A synthetic circular peptide containing citrulline called CCP IgG (cyclic citrullinated peptide) has been found to be better at discriminating Rheumatoid Arthritis patients from patients with other diseases such as hepatitis C infection.

Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide (Anti-CCP) is an antibody that is found in the blood. Antibodies are proteins that the body makes in order to fight off foreign and harmful materials, such as bacteria and viruses. However, sometimes these antibodies fail to differentiate “self” from “non-self” and these antibodies start breaking down tissues in the body. This is called an autoantibody. Citrulline is a protein that is needed in the conversion of ammonia to urea so that it can be excreted by the kidney. Anti-CCP is a type of auto-antibody against citrulline, inhibiting the excretion of ammonia. This antibody is a sensitive test used to determine whether there is rheumatoid arthritis and the severity of the disease. It has been particularly useful in helping clinicians discriminate between rheumatoid arthritis patients from patients with other diseases such as hepatitis C infection.

This test is performed in following conditions such as:

• Fatigue
• Joint Pain
• Swelling or stiffening of the joints
• Lumps around joints
• Fever

Also Known As: Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide