Antibodies to Brewer's Yeast in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Antibodies to brewer's yeast or anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) have been detected in 70% of patients with Crohn's disease and have become a part of the evaluation of a patient for Crohn's disease. Prior evaluation of these antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis have been inconsistent. In an initial small study, the levels of antibodies were elevated but not statistically significant.