Diagnostic method for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease that causes joint damage, disability and poor quality of life. Detecting RA early is crucial to prevent severe damage and improve the quality of life of patients. However, in the early stages, symptoms can be confused with other diseases, making diagnosis difficult. Although biomarkers such as rheumatoid factor and ACPA antibodies exist, these are not completely accurate. The present invention proposes a method to diagnose and classify the severity of patients with RA, using epigenetic markers based on alterations in DNA methylations.

Competitive advantages

• The method is based on epigenetic markers that allow the diagnosis and classification by severity of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. • Genomic DNA is extracted from the buffy coat, from a blood sample. The level of methylation of genomic DNA is analyzed using techniques known for this type of quantification.

Uses and applications

The application of the invention is in the field of medicine, specifically in the diagnosis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. It currently affects between 0.5% and 1% of the population. In Spain, it affects 240,000 patients and 20,000 new diagnoses are made each year. The present invention makes it possible to facilitate the diagnosis and classification of patients with rheumatoid arthritis by severity using epigenetic markers.