THE SERUM LEVEL OF AGALACTOSYL IGG IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS PATIENTS TREATED WITH METHOTREXATE

To verify the hypothesis that methotrexate may affect the serum level of agalactosyl IgG (IgG[0]) we followed the changes in IgG galactosyla tion patterns in a cohort of rheumatoid arthritis patients treated wit h either methotrexate (MTX) or nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NS AID). The average values of IgG[0] in RA patients at the beginning of the observation were significantly higher as compared to healthy contr ols (0.45 +/- 0.39 vs, -0.03 +/- 0.09, p<0.05), The findings of IgG[0] after one-year follow-up were also higher as compared to healthy cont rols (0.38 +/- 0.39 vs, -0.03 +/- 0.09, p<0.05). We did not notice any statistically significant difference in IgG[0] between MTX and NSAID treated patients at the beginning of the study (0.49 +/- 0.42 vs, 0.42 +/- 0.38, NS), However, during one-year MTX treatment IgG[0] signific antly dropped (0.49 +/- 0.42 vs, 0.25 +/- 0.24, p<0.01), We did not es tablish any fluctuation in IgG[0] in the group of patients treated wit h NSAID (0.42 +/- 0.38 vs, 0.46 +/- 0.45, NS). The data thus far obtai ned suggest that IgG[0] may serve as an indicator for the disease cour se in patients with RA, Secondly, the clinical improvement and IgG[0] decrease after methotrexate implies, that the immunoregulatory abnorma lity in RA may be susceptible to correction by immunotherapy.