title: Plasma levels of pentraxin 3 in patients with spondyloarthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Determining the disease's inflammatory activity in spondyloarthritis (SpA) is difficult although very important as it is this that drives treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate if plasma pentraxin-3 (PTX3) could act as an inflammatory marker in SpA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty one SpA patients (11 with psoriatic arthritis (PsoA) and 70 with ankylosing spondylitis (AS)) and 90 gender and age paired controls were studied for plasma PTX3 levels by ELISA. Patients had determinations of disease activity through C reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)-CRP. Epidemiological, clinical and treatment data were collected through chart review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SpA patients had lower concentrations of plasma PTX3 than controls (median of 0.95 ng/mL vs 1.64 ng/mL; p < 0.0001). Correlation of PTX3 levels and BASDAI, ASDAS-CPR, CRP levels and ESR could not be found. No differences in PTX3 levels were detected between PSoA and AS patients (p = 0.42). Uveitis, presence of HLA B27, tobacco exposure, age and disease duration did not influence PTX3 levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PTX3 plasma levels do not reflect disease activity in SpA. However, it probably participates in the ethiopathogenetic process, as it is consumed in these patients.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine , Positivo University , Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil.|b Immunopathology Molecular Laboratory, Clinical Hospital , Federal University of Paraná , Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nisihara
authors.affiliation: c Rheumatology Unit, Evangelical University , Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Thelma L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Skare
authors.affiliation: c Rheumatology Unit, Evangelical University , Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: João Otávio
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Zeni
authors.affiliation: c Rheumatology Unit, Evangelical University , Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Henrique
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rasera
authors.affiliation: b Immunopathology Molecular Laboratory, Clinical Hospital , Federal University of Paraná , Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Karita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lidani
authors.affiliation: b Immunopathology Molecular Laboratory, Clinical Hospital , Federal University of Paraná , Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Iara
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Messias-Reason
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000032:analysis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult; D000099153:Pentraxins
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component; D000099153:Pentraxins
keywords: Spondyloarthritis; biomarker; disease activity; inflammation; pentraxin 3