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High Level Serum Procalcitonin Associated Gouty Arthritis Susceptibility: From a Southern Chinese Han Population
Wen Liu1, Keshav Raj Sigdel2, Ying Wang1
1Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Insights
Serum Procalcitonin (PCT) levels are elevated in inflammatory arthritis, particularly gouty arthritis. This suggests PCT may serve as an indicator beyond infection, aiding in gouty arthritis diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology and Immunology
- Clinical Biochemistry
Background:
- Procalcitonin (PCT) is typically used as a biomarker for bacterial infections.
- Its role in non-infectious inflammatory conditions like arthritis is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum PCT levels in patients with gouty arthritis (GA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) without infection.
- To explore the potential of PCT to differentiate gouty arthritis.
Main Methods:
- Serum PCT levels were measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) in 51 GA, 37 RA, 41 AS patients, and 33 healthy controls.
- Disease activity was assessed using VAS, DAS28, and ASDAS scores. Other parameters included CRP, ESR, and WBC.
Main Results:
- Serum PCT levels were significantly higher in GA patients compared to RA and AS patients, especially those with tophi.
- PCT showed positive correlations with disease activity markers (VAS, CRP, ESR) in GA.
- Correlations were also observed in RA and AS, but without significant differences.
Conclusions:
- Serum PCT is not exclusively a marker for infection.
- PCT may serve as a valuable indicator in inflammatory arthritis, with particular relevance for gouty arthritis.
Objectives:
To study the serum Procalcitonin (PCT) level in inflammatory arthritis including gouty arthritis (GA), Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) without any evidence of infection were evaluated the possible discriminative role of PCT in gouty arthritis susceptibility in southern Chinese Han Population.
Material And Methods:
From Feb, 2012 to Feb, 2015, 51 patients with GA, 37 patients with RA, 41 patients with AS and 33 healthy control were enrolled in this study with no evidence of infections. The serum level of PCT (normal range < 0.05 ng/ml) was measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA). Disease activity was determined by scores of VAS (4.07 ± 1.15), DAS28 (4.97 ± 1.12), and ASDAS (2.97 ± 0.81) in GA, RA and AS groups respectively. Other laboratory parameters such as, serum creatinine (CRE), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), uric acid (UA) and white blood cells (WBC) were extracted from medical record system.
Results:
Serum PCT level was predominantly higher in gouty arthritis than in RA and AS patients, especially in the GA patients with tophi. PCT was significantly positively correlated with VAS, CRP and ESR in gouty arthritis and CRP in AS. PCT also had positive correlation-ship with ESR, DAS28 and ASDAS in RA and AS patients respectively, but significant differences were not observed.
Conclusions:
These data suggested that PCT is not solely a biomarker for infection, but also an indicator in inflammatory arthritis, especially in gouty arthritis.
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