title: Circulating interleukin-6, soluble interleukin-2 receptors, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-10 levels in juvenile chronic arthritis: correlations with soft tissue vascularity assessed by power Doppler sonography.
abstract: Nineteen patients with juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA), ten with systemic (s)-JCA, and nine with polyarticular-onset (p)-JCA were examined for interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-2R, and IL-10 levels. Power Doppler sonography (PDS) for the more affected knee was used in all of them to evaluate soft tissue vascularity. Serum levels of IL-6 were significantly higher in JCA patients than in controls (P<0.007). Patients with p-JCA showed higher levels of IL-6 than patients with s-JCA, and the difference was statistically nonsignificant. Serum IL-6 levels in all patients correlated significantly with the degree of vascularity detected by PDS (P<0.01). This correlation was more pronounced in p-JCA patients (P<0.01 in p-JCA vs P<0.05 in s-JCA). Serum levels of TNF-alpha were higher in patients with JCA than in controls (P<0.0001). Serum levels of TNF-alpha were significantly greater in patients with s-JCA than in p-JCA (P=0.008). Soluble IL-2R levels were higher in patients with JCA than controls (P<0.0002). Serum levels of IL-2R correlated significantly with pannus thickness in p-JCA (P<0.01) and inversely with methoxetrate (MTX) duration in s-JCA (P<0.05). Serum levels of IL-10 were significantly higher in JCA patients than in controls ( P<0.0008). Serum IL-10 levels in all patients correlated significantly inversely with hemoglobin levels (r=-0.50, P<0.05), total leukocytic count (TLC) (r=-0.58, P<0.01), and intra-articular steroid injection (r=+0.56, P<0.01). In s-JCA, IL-10 levels correlated significantly with MTX weekly dose ( P<0.05). In conclusion, a significant correlation of serum IL-6 levels with the degree of knee joint vascularity was found, and this correlation was more pronounced in p-JCA, which may stress the role of IL-6 as an inducer of neoangiogenesis in JCA.
authors.affiliation: rughe@rusys.eg.net
authors.forename: Amira A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Shahin
authors.forename: Olfat G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Shaker
authors.forename: Nagwa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kamal
authors.forename: Hassan A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Hafez
authors.forename: Wesam
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gaber
authors.forename: Hesham A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Shahin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D007378:Interleukins; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10