Objectives: To evaluate serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to assess the correlations of this cytokine with clinical and laboratory parameters. Subjects and methods: 86 patients with RA and 30 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. | Journal of military phrmaco-medicine nO7-2017 THE CHANGES IN SERUM INTERLEUKIN-6 IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS Nguyen Huy Thong*; Doan Van De*; Nguyen Dang Dung** SUMMARY Objectives: To evaluate serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to assess the correlations of this cytokine with clinical and laboratory parameters. Subjects and methods: 86 patients with RA and 30 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. Disease activity was determined by disease activity score (DAS28) in patients with RA. Patients with RA were categorized as low and moderate (DAS28 ≤ ) and high ( > DAS28) according to DAS28. The serum levels of IL-6 cytokine was measured by Fluorescence Covalent Microbead Immunosorbent Assay (FCMIA). Results: Serum IL-6 levels was significantly elevated in RA patients comparing with controls (p = ). Serum IL-6 showed no significant correlations with mesurements of disease activity. Conclusions: This study showed that patients with RA had a significantly increased cytokine level for IL-6, but high level of serum IL-6 cytokine was not associated with disease activity measurements. However, further follow-up studies involving large samples are required to clarify precise role of this cytokine in development and progress disease. * Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis; IL-6; Disease activity. INTRODUCTION Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by joint swelling, joint tenderness, and destruction of synovial joints, leading to severe disability and premature mortality [1]. Cytokine networks, including IL-6, are critical for the initiation and perpetuation of both systemic and local inflammatory responses seen in chronic inflammatory arthritis [2]. IL-6 may also be mediating many of the systematic manifestations of RA including inducing the acute-phase reaction [including C-reactive protein (CRP)], anaemia through hecipidin production, fatigue via the hypothalmic - pituitary .
