Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, deforming arthritis that can lead to disabilities and poor quality of life. Cytokines produced by inflammatory cells play a pivotal role in synovial inflammation and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis; they are the final mediators and/or regulators of inflammatory process.
OBJECTIVE:
This study was designed to assess serum IL-15 and IL-17 levels in a sample of patients with RA and to evaluate the correlation between their levels and various clinical, laboratory parameters of RA disease activity and severity.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
A case – control study was carried out from January 2013 till October 2013. It was conducted on 80 RA patients who attended Basra General Hospital outpatient rheumatology clinic. Eighty apparently healthy adults, age and sex matched, were also included as control group. Peripheral blood samples were collected from both patients and controls and used for estimation of serum IL-15, IL-17 and anti-CCP antibodies by ELISA, RF and CRP by slide agglutination test and ESR by Westergren method. RA activity was measured using disease activity score28 (DAS-28).
RESULTS:
RA patients showed significantly higher serum IL-15 and IL-17 levels than controls (P<0.01). In addition, IL-15 and IL-17 were found to be significantly higher in RA patients with active disease compared to those at remission. No significant correlations were noted between IL-15 serum level and RF, CRP, ESR, anti-CCP but it was significantly correlated with DAS-28, TJC and SJC. Significant positive correlations of serum IL-17 level and ESR, CRP, anti-CCP, DAS28, TJC and SJC were found. Also there was a significant direct correlation between IL-15 and IL-17concentration.
CONCLUSION:
The current study demonstrated that serum IL-15 and IL-17 levels were significantly higher in RA patients than the controls confirming their important role in the pathogenesis of RA and possible target for future therapy .Ele¬vated IL-17 levels could be considered as a possible indicator of more severe clinical course, This is underscored by relatively strong correlations between almost validated disease activity and severity markers including CRP, ESR, anti-CCP, DAS28, TJC and SJC.