Impaired erythropoietin responsiveness in anaemic rheumatoid arthritis patients: potential relation to immune mechanisms.
1. Serum levels of erythropoietin and the immune parameters tumour necrosis factor-alpha, soluble interleukin-2 receptor, interleukin-2, interleukin-6 and interferon-gamma were measured in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. 2. Out of 69 patients, 44 had anaemia with serum haemoglobin concentrations of 10.8 (SD 1.2) g/dl. In these patients erythropoietin levels were significantly higher than in non-anaemic patients [51.97 (SD 23.9) versus 26.06 (SD 11.9) m-units/ml; P < 0.0001; control patients: 18.1 (SD 13.8) m-units/ml]. Mean soluble interleukin-2 receptor activity was elevated in all patients with rheumatoid arthritis [1324 (SD 715) units/ml; control patients: 480 (SD 75) units/ml; P < 0.001] and was significantly higher in the anaemic group than in the non-anaemic group [1562 (SD 662) versus 696 (SD 402) units/ml; P < 0.0001]. The serum activity of soluble interleukin-2 receptor showed an inverse correlation with haemoglobin (r = 0.79; P < 0.0001) and a positive correlation with erythropoietin (r = 0.70, P < 0.0001). 3. Elevated serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels were found in 19 anaemic patients [20.6 (SD 9.1) pg/ml]. Concentrations of tumour necrosis factor-alpha in serum showed an inverse correlation with haemoglobin (r = 0.57, P < 0.001) and a positive correlation with erythropoietin (r = 0.46, P < 0.05). Interleukin-6 was detected in seven anaemic patients [21 (SD 14) pg/ml] and interleukin-2 activity in three anaemic patients (12, 16 and 14 units/ml, respectively). Interferon-gamma was not detected in any of the patients investigated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Vienna, Austria.
F
F
Stockenhuber
M
M
Keil
C
C
Wurnig
R W
RW
Kurz
M
M
Gottsauner-Wolf
P
P
Balcke
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
D016207:Cytokines; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015850:Interleukin-6; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D004921:Erythropoietin; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D007501:Iron