title: Serum Adenosine Deaminase Level is High But Not Related with Disease Activity Parameters in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
abstract: Serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) has been previously proposed to predict disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to investigate the level of serum ADA, and the relationship between ADA and disease activity markers, in a group of patients with RA. A hundred and 10 patients with a diagnosis of RA were recruited from outpatient clinic of Rheumatology Unit. Demographic properties comprising age, gender, disease duration and drugs were recorded. Disease activity based on disease activity score (DAS)28-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and DAS28- C reactive protein (CRP,) ESR, CRP levels, as well as pain by visual analog scale and rheumatoid factor (RF) were recorded. Serum ADA levels (IU/L) were determined in all RA patients and in 55 age and sex similar healthy control subjects. Ninety-six female and 14 male RA patients with a mean age of 54.32±11.51, and with a mean disease duration of 11.5±9.13 years were included to the study. The control group comprised of 48 female and 7 male healthy subjects. 35.5% of the patients were on methotrexate (MTX) and 64.5% of patients were on combined DMARDs or combined MTX and anti-TNF therapies. The mean serum ADA level was statistically higher in RA patients than in control subjects (27.01±10.6 IU/L vs 21.8 ±9.9 IU/L). The mean values of ESR (23.2±14.8 mm/h), CRP (1.71±1.11mg/dL), pain by VAS (37.2±27.1), DAS28-ESR (2.72±0.77), DAS28 CRP (1.37±0.5) were not correlated with ADA levels (p>0.05). Our results have shown that serum ADA levels are higher in RA patients than in controls but were not related with any of the disease activity markers. We conclude that ADA in the serum may not be a reliable biochemical marker to predict disease activity in patients with RA.
authors.affiliation: Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
authors.forename: Gülseren
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: University of Hacettepe, Faculty of Medicine, Dept of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
authors.forename: Pınar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Borman
authors.affiliation: Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
authors.forename: Figen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ayhan
authors.affiliation: Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Biochemistry, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tuba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ozgün
authors.affiliation: Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
authors.forename: Ferda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kaygısız
authors.affiliation: Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Biochemistry, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gulsen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yilmez
keywords: Adenosine deaminase; disease activity; rheumatoid arthritis; serum.