RELATIONSHIP OF SOLUBLE INTERLEUKIN-2-RECEPTOR AND INTERLEUKIN-6 WITHCLASS-SPECIFIC RHEUMATOID FACTORS DURING LOW-DOSE METHOTREXATE TREATMENT IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS

Citation
A. Spadaro et al., RELATIONSHIP OF SOLUBLE INTERLEUKIN-2-RECEPTOR AND INTERLEUKIN-6 WITHCLASS-SPECIFIC RHEUMATOID FACTORS DURING LOW-DOSE METHOTREXATE TREATMENT IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS, Revue du rhumatisme, 64(2), 1997, pp. 89-94
Citations number
28
Categorie Soggetti
Rheumatology
Journal title
ISSN journal
11698446
Volume
64
Issue
2
Year of publication
1997
Pages
89 - 94
Database
ISI
SICI code
1169-8446(1997)64:2<89:ROSIAI>2.0.ZU;2-C
Abstract
We studied the effect of a 6-month treatment with low-dose MTX in 22 R A patients, with the purpose of investigating the relationship of sIL- 2R and IL-6 serum chancres with those of class specific RFs. The patie nts with RA had higher serum levels of sIL-2R (p<0.00001) and IL-6 (p< 0.0005) than healthy volunteers. We found that the levels of IgM-RF (p <0.0004), IgA-RF (p<0.002), IgG-RF (p<0.025), sIL-2R (p<0.017) and IL- 6 (p<0.044), as well as the main clinical and laboratory variables, we re significantly reduced in RA patients treated with low dose MTX for six months. The changes from baseline of IgM-RF correlated with those of IL-6 (p<0.023), suggesting that MTX may affect IL-6 and IgM-RF prod uction in part by a common mechanism. In conclusion our results show t hat there is a relationship between IL-6 and IgM-RF changes from basel ine during MTX therapy, but the hypothesis of a link between the effec ts of this drug on cytokine network and RF production needs further in vestigation.