The Unnecessarily Complex Story of Rheumatoid Factor

The story of rheumatoid factor could be a 10 minute episode, but in this episode, we dig deep into the history of the lab techniques leading up to this discovery…that happened twice. 

·        Intro 0:04

·        Rheumatoid factor quick background and history 00:22

·        Rheumatology blood tests 2:47

·        What is Rheumatoid factor? 3:39

·        Spiderman and latex agglutination: Testing for rheumatoid factor 4:49

·         4:54

·        The double discovery of rheumatoid factor 7:52

·        Putting agglutination on the medical map in 1896 10:03

·        Pop Quiz! 11:04

·        Serotherapy 13:00

·        When did we start using agglutination for testing? 14:07

·        First discovery of blood groups 14:44

·        The complement fixation test 17:12

·        Testing for syphilis with complement fixation and agglutination 20:53

·        The first discovery of rheumatoid factor 24:02

·        We forget about rheumatoid factor 27:48

·        Rediscovering rheumatoid factor 28:20

·        Analytical ultracentrifugation 32:55

·        What rheumatoid factor is used for 35:50

·        Thanks for listening 38:09

 

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Brown at rheuminationspodcast@healio.com. Follow us on Twitter @HRheuminations @AdamJBrownMD @HealioRheum.

References:

Assadian O et al. Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2010;doi:10.1007/s00508-009-1297-1

Edelman GM, et al. J Exp Med. 1958;doi:10.1084/jem.108.1.105

Franklin EC, et al. J Exp Med. 1957;doi:10.1084/jem.105.5.425

Fraser KJ. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 1988;doi:10.1016/0049-0172(88)90035-2

Jonsson R. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020;doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216822

Mohd Noor NH, et al. Cureus. 2024;doi:10.7759/cureus.68903

Tan EM, et al. J Exp Med. 2016;doi:10.1084/jem.20160792

Disclosures: Brown reports no relevant financial disclosures.