OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of corticosteroid pulse (CP) therapy on soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-8 levels in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Twenty-five patients with active RA were studied before and after treatment with intravenous CP therapy. In 12 patients lymphocyte subsets were also assessed. RESULTS: All patients showed a significant decrease in clinical disease activity variables after 4 to 8 weeks of CP therapy. Baseline levels of sIL-2R were higher among patients with active RA than healthy controls; after CP therapy, sIL-2R levels decreased significantly, but not as much as the erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein. In most cases baseline levels of both IL-6 (n = 23) and IL-8 (n = 17) could be measured and both decreased significantly after CP therapy. Cortisol levels were suppressed shortly after CP therapy but had returned to pretreatment values at 4 weeks. After CP therapy there was a temporary increase in the number of HLA-DR positive cells and a decrease in the number of CD3 positive cells, while the CD4/CD8 ratio and IL-2 receptor (CD25) positive cells remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: High dose corticosteroids influence serum levels of sIL-2R, IL-6 and IL-8 in patients with active RA.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of corticosteroid pulse (CP) therapy on soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-8 levels in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Twenty-five patients with active RA were studied before and after treatment with intravenous CP therapy. In 12 patients lymphocyte subsets were also assessed. RESULTS: All patients showed a significant decrease in clinical disease activity variables after 4 to 8 weeks of CP therapy. Baseline levels of sIL-2R were higher among patients with active RA than healthy controls; after CP therapy, sIL-2R levels decreased significantly, but not as much as the erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein. In most cases baseline levels of both IL-6 (n = 23) and IL-8 (n = 17) could be measured and both decreased significantly after CP therapy. Cortisol levels were suppressed shortly after CP therapy but had returned to pretreatment values at 4 weeks. After CP therapy there was a temporary increase in the number of HLA-DR positive cells and a decrease in the number of CD3 positive cells, while the CD4/CD8 ratio and IL-2 receptor (CD25) positive cells remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: High dose corticosteroids influence serum levels of sIL-2R, IL-6 and IL-8 in patients with active RA.
Authors: Jose Luis Rodriguez-Garcia; Gines Sanchez-Nievas; Juan Arevalo-Serrano; Cristina Garcia-Gomez; Jose Maria Jimenez-Vizuete; Elisa Martinez-Alfaro Journal: Rheumatology (Oxford) Date: 2021-01-05 Impact factor: 7.580