Soluble Fas in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and childhood systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract EN

In this study, we measured serum levels of soluble Fas (s-Fas) in 11 juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) patients, 8 RF positive and 3 RF negative, with polyarticular polyarthritis (poJRA).

Also studied were 13 patients with childhood SLE, 8 SLEDAI <9 and 5 SLEDAI >nine.

Ten matched age and sex healthy children were taken as a control group.

Our results showed no statistical significant increase in the level of s-Fas in poJRA when compared to controls.

However, we noticed a possible correlation between the level of s-Fas and RF positive patients, which should be studied on a wider scale in the future.

On the other hand, we found a significant increase of the level of s-Fas in childhood SLE when compared with controls.

There was also a significant difference between the 5 patients having SLEDAI >9 and the 8 patients having SLEDAI < 9.

In conclusion, s-Fas is constantly elevated in SLE and may increase during activity, hence it may predict the severity of an exacerbation.

As s-Fas is organ specific it couldn't be detected in significant levels in serum of poJRA patients.