title: Cyclic nucleotides and catecholamines in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: A controlled cross over study on the effect of fasting on cyclic nucleotide and catecholamine excretion was carried out in 12 female RA patients. They were hospitalized during a control and fasting period. The fasting period started with 3 days of habituation to hospital conditions, followed by 7 days of total fasting. Thereafter followed 3 days of realimentation. The control period was in every respect identical with the fasting period, with the exception of food intake. All medication was stopped when the patients were admitted to the hospital. The urinary concentrations of cAMP, cGMP, E and NE were monitored daily. The clinical status of the subjects was evaluated every second day using Ritchie's clinical index. Clinical and laboratory measures of inflammatory activity remained unaltered during the control period, but improved significantly during fasting. Excretion of cAMP and cGMP was low during the control period when compared with published normal levels. The cAMP/cGMP ratio in urine was normal, however. The urinary levels of E and NE were normal in the control period, but increased significantly during fasting. Excretion of cAMP decreased during fasting, while urinary cGMP levels decreased initially, but rose to prefasting levels towards the end of the fast. The cAMP/cGMP ratio increased during the first days of the fast, with a maximum on days 2 and 3. This increment coincided in time with the greatest rate of improvement in clinical joint activity.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000378:metabolism*; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000652:urine*; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000652:urine*; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000652:urine*; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000652:urine*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D000242:Cyclic AMP; D006152:Cyclic GMP; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine