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 0:15
  • Rheumatoid factor quick background and history 00:36
  • Rheumatology blood tests 3:02
  • What is Rheumatoid factor? 3:49
  • Spiderman and latex agglutination: Testing for rheumatoid factor 4:50
  • The double discovery of rheumatoid factor 8:03
  • Putting agglutination on the medical map in 1896 10:08
  • Pop Quiz! 11:21
  • Serotherapy 13:10
  • When did we start using agglutination for testing? 14:17
  • First discovery of blood groups 14:50
  • The complement fixation test 17:22
  • Testing for syphilis with complement fixation and agglutination 21:01
  • The first discovery of rheumatoid factor 24:11
  • We forget about rheumatoid factor 27:44
  • Rediscovering rheumatoid factor 28:20
  • Analytical ultracentrifugation 32:50
  • What rheumatoid factor is used for 36:01
  • Thanks for listening 38:22

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.

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