Serum tumor necrosis factor and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract EN

Serum levels of both sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 were significantly higher than those of controls (p <0.001).

There was a positive significant correlation between serum levels of sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 (r = 0.78 p < 0.001), while there was no correlation between TNF- with neither of them in our patients.

Serum levels of both sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 strongly correlated with many laboratory and clinical parameters of disease activity as ESR, Hemoglobin, joint score and fever score.

We concluded that JRA is associated with significant and consistent changes in serum levels of TNF- and its soluble receptors.

For monitoring of the clinical course of JRA, measurements of sTNFR levels may be particularly useful The objective of this study was the evaluation of the status of tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors 1 and 2 (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2) in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and correlation between these levels with clinical and conventional laboratory evidences of disease activity.

Serum TNF-, sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in 35 patients with JRA.

The patients were 21 girls and 14 boys, their ages ranged from 3-16 years with a mean of 9.2 years.

The studied cases were divided into 3 groups according to the clinical subtypes of their disease, 10 patients had systemic onset JRA, 12 had polyarticular and 13 patients had pauciarticular type of JRA.

Fifteen healthy age-matched children served as a control group.

Serum level of TNF  was 55.34 + 33.12 pg/ml which was significantly higher than that of controls (p < 0.05).

It was significantly higher in the 3 studied groups and the highest level was present in the polyarticular type of the disease.

The level only correlated with the ESR and pain score (r = 0.41 and 0.44 respectively