RESUMEN
The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between circulating levels of serum amyloid A protein (SAA) and disease activity in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Our study group included 41 JIA patients (9 male, 32 female), classified according to the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) criteria (5); 16 had polyarticular onset disease and 25 had oligoarticular onset disease. Among 25 patients with oligoarticular disease, three had extended oligoarthritis. Serum amyloid A (SAA), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in both patients and 26 healthy controls. SAA levels were higher in JIA patients versus healthy controls (p<0.001). Significant positive correlations were found between SAA and the presence of active joints (rho=0.363, p<0.05), the number of active joints (rho=0.418, p<0.05), ESR (R=0.702, p<0.05) and CRP (R=0.827, p<0.05). No significant correlations between ESR and the presence of active joints (rho=0.221, p=0.225) or between ESR and the number of active joints (rho=0.118, p=0.520) were demonstrated in JIA patients. No significant correlations were obtained between CRP and the presence of active joints (rho=0.034, p=0.855) or between CRP and the number of active joints (rho=0.033, p=0.859). We discovered a significant increase in SAA levels in JIA patients, compared to controls, and a strong positive correlation between SAA level and JIA disease activity. We also discerned SAA to be a more sensitive laboratory marker than ESR and CRP for evaluating the presence and number of active joints. We suggest that SAA can be used as an additional indicator of disease activity in JIA.
Asunto(s)
Humanos , Masculino , Artritis Juvenil , Biomarcadores , Sedimentación Sanguínea , Proteína C-Reactiva , Articulaciones , Reumatología , Proteína Amiloide A SéricaRESUMEN
The pathogenesis of recurrent pericarditis is still poorly understood and may be related either to viral infections or autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders. The immune system plays a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease, modulating individual responses to different noxa and explaining the variable reported recurrence rate (ranging from 20% to 50% of patients) following an attack of acute or recurrent pericarditis. Increasing interest is currently being devoted to autoinflammatory disorders, a group of conditions characterized by spontaneously relapsing and remitting bouts of systemic inflammation without apparent involvement of antigen-specific T cells or significant production of auto-antibodies. Ongoing basic and clinical research is needed to provide further evidence for the understanding of this common and troublesome disease, and to develop targeted and more efficacious therapies.