[Relationship between blood lipid spectrum and activity of the disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis]

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at risk of cardiovascular disorders. Pathogenesis of rapidly developing atherosclerosis in RA remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to compare cholesterol content in serum lipoprotein subfractions in patients with RA and healthy subjects and to establish relationship between lipid profile variations, severity of the disease, and plasma levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines. The study included 15 patients with active RA and 120 healthy subjects of comparable sex and age. RA was found to be associated with a significant decrease of cholesterol of high density (HDL2) and intermediate density (IDL) lipoproteins and its elevation in low density lipoproteins (LDL1-3). There was negative correlation between the latter parameter and disease activity index. No relationship between lipoprotein cholesterol and serum interleukins (IL-6, IL-8) TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma) was documented. It is concluded that patients with RA exhibit proatherogenic changes of cholesterol content in different lipoprotein subfractions related to the severity of the disease. Further studies are needed to elucidate molecular mechanisms of dyslipidemia in RA and to ensure the choice of optimal targets for therapeutic modalities reducing the risk of cardiovascular disorders.