title: Glutathione and selenium in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: The concentration of selenium in serum (S-Se) was studied in 20 patients and glutathione in erythrocytes (E-GSH) in 16 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at onset and after 3 and 6 months of antirheumatic therapy with aurothiomalate (19 cases) or with D-penicillamine (one case). The values were compared to those of age and sex matched healthy controls. S-Se was significantly (p less than 0.01) lower in RA patients at the onset of the trial, but increased to the level of the controls during the follow-up. On the other hand, there was no difference in E-GSH between the patients and their controls before the onset of antirheumatic medication but the increase in E-GSH of RA patients during the trial was highly significant (p less than 0.001). Nevertheless, neither S-Se nor E-GSH correlated to changes in clinical or laboratory indicators of disease activity or to the development of new erosions in X-ray. It is concluded that changes in rheumatoid activity or disease progress occur independently of changes in S-Se or E-GSH.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood*; D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010396:Penicillamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate; D005978:Glutathione; D010396:Penicillamine; D012643:Selenium