title: Serial estimation of interleukin 6 as a measure of systemic disease in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is frequently associated with a marked acute phase response, thrombocytosis, hypergammaglobulinemia and the presence of rheumatoid factors (RF). Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a cytokine that stimulates hepatocytes to produce acute phase reactants and B lymphocytes to produce immunoglobulin. We measured serum IL-6 in patients with active RA during induction of intramuscular gold therapy. Levels of IL-6 correlated strongly with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and RF titers and to a lesser degree with platelet counts. It may, therefore, be responsible for many of the systemic manifestations of RA and its measurement in the serum may be a convenient and reproducible variable for the assessment of disease activity in this very common disease.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Unit, United Medical School, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corkill
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kirkham
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Panayi
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D006046:Gold / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D006046:Gold; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor