Anti-CCP Antibody

CCP antibodies target healthy tissues in the joints. Joints are places in your body where two bones meet, such as your elbows, wrists, and knees. If CCP antibodies are found in your blood, it can be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that gets worse over time. It causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and a loss of function in your joints.

CCP antibodies are found in most people who have rheumatoid arthritis. They are uncommon in people who don't have the disease (the test is positive in only about 5 out of 100 people without rheumatoid arthritis), so a positive result usually points to rheumatoid arthritis. CCP antibodies can sometimes be found in other conditions, including some chronic infections (such as hepatitis C), certain lung diseases, and in healthy relatives of people with rheumatoid arthritis. Anti-CCP antibody testing is one of the criteria used to classify rheumatoid arthritis, alongside rheumatoid factor, C-reactive protein (CRP), and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

If your CCP antibody results were positive, it means these antibodies were found in your blood. A negative result means no CCP antibodies were found. The meaning of these results may depend on the results of a rheumatoid factor (RF) test as well as a physical exam.

Sometimes, CCP antibodies may be found in conditions other than rheumatoid arthritis.

To understand the results of a CCP antibody test, your provider will consider your symptoms, medical history, physical exam, and the results of other tests.