Effect of Osteoprotegerin and Dickkopf-Related Protein 1 on Radiological Progression in Tightly Controlled Rheumatoid...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Biomarker Research
• Radiology

Background:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management aims for remission, but radiological progression can still occur.
• Identifying biomarkers to predict structural damage is crucial for optimizing RA treatment.
• Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK-1) are implicated in bone metabolism and RA pathogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between serum levels of OPG and DKK-1 and radiological progression in RA patients.
• To determine if these biomarkers can predict joint damage in patients treated with a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy.

Main Methods:

• Serum OPG and DKK-1 levels were measured in 97 RA patients on T2T therapy.
• Radiological progression was assessed using the Sharp-van der Heijde score (SHS) over a median follow-up of 3.3 years.
• Multivariate regression analysis was used to examine the association between biomarkers and SHS progression.

Main Results:

• Serum OPG levels did not significantly change, while DKK-1 levels showed a non-significant decrease.
• Age and C-reactive protein were predictive of SHS progression.
• Higher serum OPG levels were associated with a reduced likelihood of joint space narrowing and total SHS progression (protective effect).
• DKK-1 levels were not associated with radiological progression.

Conclusions:

• In tightly controlled RA, serum OPG is inversely associated with the progression of joint destruction.
• OPG may serve as a valuable biomarker, potentially enhancing the prediction of radiological progression in RA patients achieving remission or low disease activity.